Mining in Argentina. Javier Milei opens glaciers to investors

Argentina's parliament passed legislation late Wednesday evening that allows mining investments in glacial regions. The country's president, Javier Milei, supported the adoption of the regulations, which are criticized by the opposition and environmental organizations.

137 MPs voted in favor of opening glacial regions to mining; 111 were against and three people abstained. The act is controversial, including: because of the freedom it grants to local authorities in setting standards for the protection of glaciers and the zones immediately adjacent to them (periglacial).

“It is about both the environment and economic development,” replied the president of the Argentine Chamber of Mines, Roberto Cacciola, to critics of the law. Governors of interested provinces and companies claim that the reform clarifies investment rules, and thanks to the implementation of its provisions, Argentina may become a key global supplier of copper and lithium.

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Critics of the adopted solutions claim that they may degrade high-mountain ice formations and, consequently, threaten key freshwater resources. The regulations in force since 2010 prohibited mining and industrial activities in glacial and periglacial areas and established minimum standards for the protection of water resources.

It is estimated that in Argentina there are from 16 to 17 thousand. glaciers – mainly in the Andesalong the country's western border, and in the southwestern part of the country, where the South Patagonian Ice Sheet is located – the largest fragment of ice sheet outside of Antarctica and Greenland. (PAP)

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