Each year, hundreds of thousands of tourists visit Argentina’s Perito Moreno glacier, one of dozens of massive ice formations found in Patagonia’s Los Glaciares National Park. Beyond their beauty, glaciers also hold over half of the Earth’s freshwater globally — and in Argentina, they are an essential water resource for millions.

Yet, environmental watchdogs and journalists have warned that the government is planning to pass a decree modifying the Glacier Law (Law 26.639) to reduce the area of glacial territory protected from mining, oil exploration, and other extractive activity. 

They warn the plans would permit such activities in the areas immediately around glaciers. Experts warn that such activity would irreversibly harm glaciers and periglacial zones, while also consuming large volumes of water.

The Glacier Law was adopted in 2010 following sustained civil society protest against mining activity, principally the Pascua Lama project in San Juan province, led by the Canadian multinational Barrick Gold. The law sets definitions of glaciers and periglacial zones, which are the areas of frozen earth surrounding glaciers that play a key role in the water cycle. It also establishes minimum standards to prohibit certain economic activity in or near those areas. 

The National Glacier Inventory established by the law, which was last updated in 2018, collates information about nearly 17,000 glaciers located primarily in the Andean western regions of the country. 

The government has yet to release a formal statement or decree modifying the law. A spokesperson for the Energy Secretariat, within the Economy Ministry, told the Herald that “all that is defined will be announced officially in due course.” He did not explicitly confirm or deny that a modification was in the works.

‘A serious regression’

Climate advocacy organizations have warned that reducing the law’s scope could have devastating impacts on mountain ecosystems, global temperatures, and access to clean water in Argentina.

“Moving forward with the modification of this law would imply a serious regression in the country’s environmental policies,” said Agostina Rossi Serra, a biodiversity expert at Greenpeace. 

Greenpeace further stated that “once a glacier disappears it cannot be replaced. If glaciers disappear, many communities will face severe water shortages.”

In March, the environmental think tank FARN stated: “Glacial melt has increased alarmingly in recent years, putting vital freshwater reserves at risk. In Argentina, these ecosystems are protected by law, yet pressures from the mining sector persist.”

FARN’s press release came on the heels of clashes between water defenders and provincial authorities in Mendoza in February 2025, in what advocates say has been a crackdown on free speech. Provincial governor Alfredo Cornejo has signaled a commitment to encourage mining projects as a vehicle for economic growth. 

Enrique Viale, director of the Argentine Association of Environmental Lawyers, told CNN that previous efforts to change the law have been driven by mining companies seeking permission to extract the resources underneath them.  

Mirroring the omnibus bill

The most recent attempt to modify the Glacier Law was in the December 2023 first draft of President Javier Milei’s omnibus bill, which stripped protections of the periglacial environment and narrowed the definition of glaciers protected under the law. The expected decree will likely mirror this language, according to Viale.

These changes, along with proposed changes to the Forest Law, did not appear in the version of the bill that was passed into law in June 2024. They were, however, pursuant to Javier Milei’s goal of increasing foreign investment in Argentina regardless of its environmental impact. 

Milei has dismissed the climate crisis as a “socialist lie” and has offered incentives to foreign companies interested in exploiting natural resources under the Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI, by its Spanish acronym), which offers tax, legal, and foreign exchange benefits for large investments. Several projects have already been approved under RIGI and more are under evaluation, mostly in the energy and mining sectors.