"Where Glaciers Melt Away, Switzerland Sees Opportunity"

"In parts of the Alps, the warming climate is making glaciers disappear. Now the Swiss have a plan to make use of the valleys left behind."

"For hikers looking for a daylong outing in central Switzerland, the Trift Glacier bridge is a popular destination. It’s a short gondola ride from the village of Gadmen, followed by a few miles’ trek up a rocky path overlooking a granite gorge.

Those who successfully fight off a case of nerves — the slender cable-and-plank bridge is more than 500 feet long and 300 feet in the air — are rewarded with spectacular views. But the Trift Glacier itself is hardly to be seen. Its leading edge has retreated rapidly this century, leaving an opalescent lake behind.

The Trift is a casualty of climate change, one of tens of thousands of glaciers around the world that are shrinking as the earth warms. Melting glaciers are adding to rising sea levels and causing floods, and will eventually mean less water for drinking and agriculture."

Henry Fountain reports for the New York Times with multimedia by Ben C. Solomon and maps by Jeremy White February 13, 2019.