Alpine glaciers face rapid retreat and environmental instability

The Alpine glaciers are facing a severe crisis, with data showing a 39% loss in total surface area since 2000. Legambiente’s international campaign, ‘Carovana dei ghiacciai’, is currently monitoring these changes across the Alps, highlighting the rapid transformation of the landscape and its impact on water systems that feed major European rivers.

In Italy, the campaign is focusing on specific regions. In the Dolomites, the Marmolada glacier is losing mass and becoming increasingly fragile, accompanied by permafrost degradation and rising slope instability. In Lombardy, the Forni Glacier—Italy’s second largest—is a primary subject of scientific observation and monitoring due to its vulnerability to the climate crisis.

Beyond the melting ice, the environmental impact includes reduced summer water availability for mountain refuges and increased geological risks, such as rockfalls. Additionally, environmental clean-up efforts on the Italian side of Mont Blanc have uncovered various types of waste, prompting calls for greater responsibility among mountain visitors.