Argentina just ripped up its pioneering glacier law. What does this mean for millions of people’s drinking water?

Key Points:

• Argentina's glacier law, enacted in 2010 to protect glaciers and surrounding frozen land, is being reformed under President Javier Milei's far-right government to relax restrictions and allow mining in high-altitude glacier areas based on provincial decisions about "relevant water function."
• The reform, approved by the Argentine Congress, aims to attract international investment and boost mining of critical minerals amid global demand but has sparked protests from environmentalists who warn it threatens key water reserves and fragile ecosystems dependent on glaciers.
• Mining companies like Barrick and Shandong Gold, owners of the Veladero mine implicated in cyanide spills, support the reform, while environmental groups argue it undermines a uniform national environmental standard and fails to consider the broader ecological roles of glaciers.
• Approximately 16% of Argentina's population relies on glacier-fed water sources, and scientists report glaciers in the northwest have shrunk by 17% over the past decade, highlighting concerns about water security and climate impacts.
• The debate centers on who decides which glaciers are protected, with critics saying the reform is a political move lacking clear technical criteria, while proponents emphasize economic development and provincial authority in managing resources.