Swiss researchers use wool blankets to slow glacier melt
Biodegradable covers show initial promise as an alternative to plastic tarpaulins.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Μάλλινες κουβέρτες κρατούν δροσερό παγετώνα των Άλπεων καθώς η θερμοκρασία ανεβαίνει
Photograph: in.gr (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Researchers in Switzerland are experimenting with wool blankets to slow the melting of Alpine glaciers.
- The project, named 'Keep it Wool', is a collaboration between the University of Lausanne and the Summit Foundation.
- Wool blankets are being tested as a biodegradable alternative to synthetic tarpaulins, which can release microplastics.
- Initial findings indicate the wool covers are as effective as synthetic ones in reducing ice melt.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 16 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 20 of the 36 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
61/100
Hype
41/100
36 sources · methodology
Scientists in Switzerland are trialling the use of wool blankets to reduce the melting of Alpine glaciers. The initiative, known as 'Keep it Wool', involves the University of Lausanne and the Summit Foundation. This project aims to find a biodegradable alternative to synthetic tarpaulins, which have been used previously but release microplastics into the environment.
The wool used in the experiment is of low quality and would typically be discarded. Researchers have applied these wool blankets to a section of the Transfle-ron glacier in western Switzerland. Initial results from the summer trials suggest that the wool blankets were as effective as conventional synthetic covers in limiting ice melt.
Researchers involved in the project have stressed that the wool blankets are not a solution to climate change itself. The experiment is focused on mitigating local ice loss.
Coverage comparison
The left-rated report from in.gr detailed the 'Keep it Wool' project, including its origins and the materials used. It explained that researchers are using low-quality wool as a biodegradable alternative to synthetic tarpaulins, which release microplastics. The report noted that initial results showed the wool blankets were as effective as synthetic covers in reducing ice melt. It quoted project lead Timothée Steiner, who told Reuters that the team wanted to explore a biodegradable option and utilise Swiss wool, of which 40-70% is discarded annually. The report also included comments from Fisolan's Niklaus Siegeser, who expressed surprise at the material's durability, and student Eliott Gaffiot, who stated the team was unsure what to expect but that it "worked incredibly well".
What the coverage left out
None of the reports below mention the specific area covered by the wool blankets, stated as 200 square metres in the in.gr report. The unrated digest from Heti Világgazdaság did not specify the names of the institutions involved in the project, only that "Swiss researchers" were experimenting.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 4 Sept 2026, 21:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
5 rated outlets
- The left‑rated outlets led on a Swiss experiment that spreads sheep’s wool blankets over a glacier to slow melt caused by rising temperatures. in.gr’s full report, Hot News, SWI swissinfo.ch, Sözcü and Zeit Online all noted that the method replaces synthetic covers with a biodegradable material and that the test took place on the Tsanfleuron Glacier in the Alps.
- The in.gr article identified the project as “Keep it Wool”, involved the University of Lausanne and the Summit Foundation, and said low‑quality wool destined for waste was turned into 200 m² of cover. It quoted project leader Timote Steiner, a Fisolan representative and a student, all of whom said the wool performed as well as the synthetic alternative.
- The digests from Hot News, SWI swissinfo.ch, Sözcü and Zeit Online omitted the project name, the university and foundation partners, the quoted statements and the detail that the wool was low‑quality material repurposed from waste. They also did not mention the measurement schedule or the disclaimer that the blankets are not a climate‑change solution.
Centre
8 rated outlets
We have not written our reading of the centre coverage of this story. The centre-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.
Right
3 rated outlets
We have not written our reading of the right coverage of this story. The right-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Swiss researchers use wool blankets to slow glacier melt?
- Of the 16 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 31% are rated left, 50% are rated centre, 19% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 36. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Swiss researchers use wool blankets to slow glacier melt left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 16 rated outlets on this story, 31% are rated left, 50% are rated centre, 19% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Swiss researchers use wool blankets to slow glacier melt biased?
- Swiss researchers use wool blankets to slow glacier melt is one event reported by 36 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered Swiss researchers use wool blankets to slow glacier melt?
- 36 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What is the 'Keep it Wool' project?
- The 'Keep it Wool' project is an initiative by researchers in Switzerland, involving the University of Lausanne and the Summit Foundation. They are experimenting with using wool blankets to slow the melting of Alpine glaciers as a biodegradable alternative to synthetic covers.
- Why are researchers using wool blankets on glaciers?
- Researchers are using wool blankets as a biodegradable alternative to synthetic tarpaulins, which can release microplastics. The aim is to reduce the rate at which Alpine glaciers are melting due to rising global temperatures.
- How effective are the wool blankets?
- Initial results from the trials indicate that the wool blankets are as effective as traditional synthetic covers in reducing ice melt. Researchers are monitoring the performance of the wool covers compared to conventional methods.
Read it at the source
36 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
5- Wool Blankets Keep Alpine Glacier Cool as Temperatures Rise (opens in.gr in a new tab)
- They Started Spreading Sheep's Wool on the Glaciers - Sözcü Newspaper (opens Sözcü in a new tab)
- Researchers in Switzerland Are Doing an Unusual Experiment in the Alps: "It Worked Amazingly - HotNews.ro (opens Hot News in a new tab)
- Climate Change: Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens Zeit Online in a new tab)
Zeit Online — is Zeit Online biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Swiss NGO uses woollen blankets to reduce glacier melt (opens SWI swissinfo.ch in a new tab)
SWI swissinfo.ch — is SWI swissinfo.ch biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
8- How Sheep Can Stop Melting Ice in the Alps: the Project of Swiss Students (opens Digi 24 in a new tab)
- Can sheep save the glaciers? Swiss scientists put wool to the test (opens The Express Tribune in a new tab)
The Express Tribune — is The Express Tribune biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Can sheep save the glaciers? Swiss scientists put wool to the test (opens CTV News in a new tab)
- Can sheep save the glaciers? Swiss scientists put wool to the test (opens WTVB in a new tab)
- Can sheep save the glaciers? Swiss scientists put wool to the test (opens Reuters in a new tab)
- Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens wz.de in a new tab)
- Climate Change: Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens volksfreund.de in a new tab)
volksfreund.de — is volksfreund.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Climate Change: Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens saarbruecker-zeitung.de in a new tab)
saarbruecker-zeitung.de — is saarbruecker-zeitung.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
3- Can sheep save the glaciers? Swiss scientists put wool to the test (opens Emirates24|7 in a new tab)
Emirates24|7 — is Emirates24|7 biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Swiss NGO tests wool blankets to slow glacier melt (opens Anadolu Ajansı in a new tab)
Anadolu Ajansı — is Anadolu Ajansı biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Climate Change: Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens Handelsblatt in a new tab)
Handelsblatt — is Handelsblatt biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
20- The Sheep's Wool, the New Weapon Against the Melting of the Glaciers? The Surprising Experiment of the Swiss (opens Aleph News in a new tab)
Aleph News — is Aleph News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- How Wool Blankets Protect Alpine Glaciers From Overheating (opens parapolitika.gr in a new tab)
parapolitika.gr — is parapolitika.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 70% Improvement in What Seems Crazy Idea: Save Melting Glaciers with a Fleece Blanket (opens Heti Világgazdaság in a new tab)
Heti Világgazdaság — is Heti Világgazdaság biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic: Fight Against Glacier Melt (opens Blick in a new tab)
- Reuters: Can Sheep Save the Glaciers? Swiss Researchers Make an Unusual Experiment with Wool (opens antena3.ro in a new tab)
antena3.ro — is antena3.ro biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Sheep Wool, Switzerland's Ecological Weapon Against Melting Ice (opens g4food.ro in a new tab)
- The Experiment Yielded Surprising Results: European Researchers Would Save the Ice Sheet with a Special Method (opens Portfolio in a new tab)
- The Glaciers of the Alps, Protected with Sheep's Wool. The Experiment that Surprises Researchers (opens Mediafax in a new tab)
Show 12 more
- Can Sheep Save the Glaciers? Swiss Scientists Are Testing Wool (opens vijesti.me in a new tab)
vijesti.me — is vijesti.me biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens mainwelle.de in a new tab)
mainwelle.de — is mainwelle.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens bbv-net.de in a new tab)
bbv-net.de — is bbv-net.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens RN in a new tab)
- Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens onetz.de in a new tab)
- Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens nordbayern.de in a new tab)
nordbayern.de — is nordbayern.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens Badische Neueste Nachrichten in a new tab)
Badische Neueste Nachrichten — is Badische Neueste Nachrichten biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Climate Change: Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens wiwo.de in a new tab)
- Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens noz.de in a new tab)
- Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens inFranken.de in a new tab)
inFranken.de — is inFranken.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Climate Change: Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens geo in a new tab)
- Test: Sheep Wool Instead of Plastic as Glacier Protection (opens aachener-zeitung.de in a new tab)
aachener-zeitung.de — is aachener-zeitung.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
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