As Argentina’s Congress prepares to debate the Glacier Law amendments on December 10, the core question: Will Argentina safeguard its vital water sources and ecological heritage, or trade them away for uncertain short-term gains?
Argentina’s landmark 2010 glacier law, which currently prohibits mining and industrial activity in glacier and periglacial zones. The proposed changes would shift authority to provincial governments, allowing them to redefine protected areas. Scientists and environmental groups warn this could expose thousands of small glaciers, many under one hectare to destruction, threatening water sources for over 15 million Argentines and accelerating glacier retreat amid climate change.
The Perito Moreno Glacier, once considered stable, has begun retreating rapidly since 2019, with recent studies showing a 16-fold increase in thinning rates. Experts emphasize that periglacial zones act as natural reservoirs, slowly releasing water during dry seasons. Disrupting these zones through mining could destabilize entire watersheds, contaminate aquifers, and trigger landslides. Argentina has already lost nearly 20% of its glacial volume since 1960, and further rollback of protections could worsen droughts and water scarcity.
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Bapon (SHM) Fakhruddin, PhD 