Why is Switzerland warming faster than most countries in the world?

"The climate crisis is hitting Switzerland particularly hard, not least through its rapidly melting glaciers. Why is the country warming faster than most others on earth? June 2025 was the second-warmest month in Switzerland since temperature measurements began in 1864. And the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said this is far from the hottest we will experience: new records will be set in the future, as human-caused climate change will raise temperatures to new levels."

"According to the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss), in Switzerland, climate warming is proceeding twice as fast as the global average. United Nations data also shows that Switzerland is among the world's fastest-warming nations. The reason is that Switzerland is landlocked so it doesn't benefit from the buffering effect of the oceans, which are able to absorb large amounts of heat."

"Since 1864, when the first nationwide measurements were taken, the north side of the Swiss Alps has warmed more than southern areas. These regions, which initially had a colder climate, eventually caught up with the south, leading to higher temperatures there (+3C) than in the south (+2.7C) over the past 150 years."

June 2025 ranked as Switzerland's second-warmest month since nationwide records began in 1864, and the WMO expects future temperature records as human-caused climate change continues. MeteoSwiss reports that Switzerland is warming about twice as fast as the global average, with UN data placing Switzerland among the fastest-warming countries. Being landlocked reduces ocean buffering, while Alpine altitude and mountain morphology amplify warming. Rapid melting of snow and ice decreases surface albedo, accelerating temperature rise. Since 1864 the north side of the Swiss Alps has warmed slightly more than the south (+3°C versus +2.7°C over 150 years), and permafrost temperatures have reached record warmth.

Read at www.thelocal.ch