Argentina Eases Glacier Protections, Sparking Environmental Concerns

Thu Apr 09 2026 13:56:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Following a controversial amendment, Argentina's Congress has loosened the restrictions on mining in glacier areas, prompting protests from environmentalists who argue this compromises vital water sources.

Argentina's Congress has passed a contentious amendment to its Glacier Law, making it easier to mine in glacier regions, which critics say undermines protections for essential water reserves. The reform transfers the responsibility of defining protected areas to provincial governments, leading to concerns over water security as glaciers provide critical resources against drought. Protesters argue that these changes jeopardize water supplies vital for millions.

Argentina Eases Glacier Protections, Sparking Environmental Concerns

Argentina's Congress has passed a controversial amendment making it easier to mine in glacier regions, a move environmentalists say weakens protections for crucial water sources.

The pioneering Glacier Law, approved in 2010, prohibited all mining and exploration activities in glacier regions by protecting them as water reserves.

The reform shifts the responsibility of defining protected glacier areas from the Argentine Institute for Snow, Ice and Environmental Sciences (Ianigla) to the provincial governments.

President Javier Milei, who backed the reform, said the change empower[s] the provinces to utilise their resources and allows mining activities where there was nothing to protect.

Argentina's Senate had already approved the bill in February 2026, so approval by the lower house was the last major hurdle left.

Opponents of the reform argued that it would put a fundamental resource - water - at risk. Without water, we can't even think about a growth and development project, Congresswoman Natalia de la Sota said.

However, Congresswoman Nancy Picón Martínez, a supporter of the bill, claimed that mining is being unfairly vilified: This law protects glaciers, no matter how much some people want us to believe otherwise.

Following the reform, glaciers and periglacial environments will be protected by the national Ianigla inventory until provincial leaders prove they do not serve as strategic water reserves.

There are over 16,968 glaciers in Argentina, providing water to 36 river basins across 12 provinces, home to seven million people.

The water from melted glaciers helps reduce the impact of droughts, especially in semi-arid provinces like Mendoza that are becoming increasingly prone to climate change.

Governors from mineral-rich provinces such as Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta, Mendoza, and San Juan supported the bill, arguing that the 2010 Glacier Law hindered sustainable economic development.

Yet, environmental groups like Greenpeace criticized the amendment for not recognizing all glaciers as essential water reserves. The primary function of all glaciers and the entire periglacial environment is to act as a freshwater reservoir, emphasized biologist Agostina Rossi Serra.