Argentina Strips Glacier Protections to Open Mining in Andes

Argentina's lower house of Congress approved a bill early Thursday that weakens protections for the country's glaciers, clearing the way for mining in frozen regions of the Andes mountains. The Chamber of Deputies voted 137 in favor, 111 against, and three abstentions after nearly 12 hours of debate. The amendment to the Glacier Law, already approved by the Senate in February, transfers authority over which glacier areas deserve protection from the Argentine Institute for Snow, Ice and Environmental Sciences to individual provincial governments.

President Javier Milei championed the reform, arguing it would "empower the provinces to utilise their resources" and allow mining activities "where there was nothing to protect." The change opens previously protected areas to extraction of copper, lithium, and silver. Argentina is a major lithium producer, and the central bank has estimated the country could triple its mining exports by 2030.

Nearly 17,000 glaciers and rock glaciers exist across Argentina, providing water to 36 river basins spanning 12 provinces and serving seven million people. Water from melted glaciers reduces drought impacts in semi-arid regions like Mendoza, where such relief is becoming more critical due to climate change. In the country's northwest, where mining is concentrated, glacial reserves have shrunk 17 percent in the last decade.

Congresswoman Natalia de la Sota opposed the bill, stating "Without water, we can't even think about a growth and development project." Agostina Rossi Serra, a biologist with Greenpeace, explained that periglacial environments undergo gradual thaw that feeds rivers and streams across the country. She emphasized that "a large part of our country, especially the regions that were keen to see this law amended, are arid and semi-arid areas, where water is a scarce resource."

Governors from mineral-rich provinces Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta, Mendoza, and San Juan backed the bill, saying the 2010 Glacier Law hindered "promoting a sustainable economic development of the provinces and the Nation without compromising future generations." Congresswoman Nancy Picón Martínez countered critics by saying the mining industry was being portrayed "as if it were a monster," insisting "This law protects glaciers, no matter how much some people want us to believe otherwise."

Nicolas Mayoraz, an MP from Milei's La Libertad Avanza party, told lawmakers that combining "environmental protection and sustainable development is possible." Milei has argued that "Environmentalists would rather see us starve than have anything touched."

Thousands of people demonstrated outside parliament on Wednesday, with some clashes with police reported. Protesters held signs reading "Water is more precious than gold!" and "A glacier destroyed cannot be restored!" Seven Greenpeace activists were arrested after scaling a statue outside parliament and unfurling a banner urging politicians "not to betray the Argentine people."

Environmental activist Flavia Broffoni rejected the government's sustainability claims, telling AFP that "there is absolutely no possibility of creating what they call a 'sustainable mine' in a periglacial environment." The law takes effect once published in the official gazette.