Argentina's Controversial Glacier Mining Bill Passes

Thu Apr 09 2026 12:58:21 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Argentina's Congress has passed a contentious bill that eases mining regulations in glacier regions, raising concerns among environmentalists about the future of vital water resources.

Argentina's Congress has approved an amendment that reduces protections for glaciers, allowing for increased mining activities. Environmentalists fear this change jeopardizes crucial water reserves established under the 2010 Glacier Law. The reform shifts authority for defining protected glacier areas to provincial governments, a move supported by President Javier Milei, who argues it empowers local resource management. Critics, including Greenpeace, argue it undermines essential water reserves, especially in arid areas affected by climate change.

Argentina's Controversial Glacier Mining Bill Passes

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.

But supporters of the bill claim that mining is being unfairly demonized. This law protects glaciers, no matter how much some people want us to believe otherwise, said Congresswoman Nancy Picón Martínez.

The reform has proven divisive, with those opposed organizing protest rallies. 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.

Argentina is home to 16,968 glaciers, providing water to 36 river basins across 12 provinces, which support approximately seven million people. Water from melted glaciers helps to mitigate drought impacts, especially in semi-arid provinces like Mendoza, where droughts are becoming more frequent due to climate change.