1st October 2026

Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS) systematically documents and monitors long-term glacier changes in the Swiss Alps.   More than 5% of the country's remaining glacier ice has disappeared in the last 12 months, which scientists say is "extraordinary". The report, a collaboration between the SGLAMOS and the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation, found the mean thickness of individual glaciers fell by between 2.5 metres and 4 metres in 2026. Matthias Huss, a glaciologist at ETH Zürich and lead author of the report, said many people do not realise how fast glaciers are retreating, or that just one generation ago some now-barren sites used to sit beneath hundreds of metres of ice. “I visited one last week and it’s so impressive to stand in this moonlike landscape where there was a big layer of ice – an extensive glacier – just a few years ago, and now it’s a rock desert where there’s some scattered blocks of old ice still lying around and melting on the hot rocks,” Huss said.  Scientific analysis warns that rapid melting is no longer a surprise given the pace of climate change, but it could threaten water supplies for farming, hydropower and transport in the decades ahead. The loss of glacier ice can destabilise mountain slopes and increase the risk of landslides which can lead to flash flooding in extreme cases, as seen in Nepal in August. Analysis published by MeteoSwiss on Tuesday found that April to September this year was the hottest and driest it had been since records began in 1864. In that time, humanity has filled the atmosphere with 1.8tn tons of carbon dioxide and heated the planet by about 1.4C. 

Creator God, forgive us if we think this world is simply to be exploited.  Open our eyes to see the damage that we do.  Open our ears to hear and not ignore the signs.  Open hearts to change.  Make us the gardeners and caretakers that you created us to be, that this fragile world might be handed on with pride, not shame, to future generations.

This prayer is from Faith and Worship, Copyright © John Birch, 2020 

Stephen Parson, 75, crashed his hang glider into a tree on Mount Prevost in British Columbia's Cowichan Valley. That left him hanging in his harness about 200 feet below the top of the 2,585-foot mountain.  His situation was becoming increasingly dangerous as he was suffering from a concussion, had received several fractures and a serious wound to his leg. He was also beginning to experience suspension trauma, a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when someone remains suspended in a harness for too long. Matthew Clark, 24, had already completed his own flight  when he heard the news. An experienced rock-climber, with free-soloing experience, Matthew went to help, although he had no climbing gear with him. Stephen's position was so precarious t that rescue teams initially could not reach him. Matthew climbed up a narrow, slippery gully by using his body to brace himself between the rock walls, eventually reaching Stephen and cutting him out of his harness with a knife. Matthews then dragged him to a safer location, treated his serious knee wound and kept him warm while they waited for rescuers.  After about three hours a helicopter rescue team was able to lower a doctor who stabilised Stephen before he was hoisted off the mountain and into a waiting ambulance which took him to hospital.  Stephen remained there for over a week, recovering from concussion, broken ribs, a fractured wrist and the wound to his knee. He also spent several weeks doing walking and stretching exercises to regain full use of his legs following the suspension trauma, eventually making a full recovery. For putting himself in extreme danger while attempting to save another person's life, Clark was awarded a Carnegie Medal, an honour given throughout North America to people who risk their own lives to save others. 

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Thomas Ken 1637 -1711