Argentina's Congress passed a controversial amendment to the country's 2010 Glacier Law, shifting authority to define protected glacier areas from the federal Argentine Institute for Snow, Ice and Environmental Sciences to provincial governments, a change backed by President Javier Milei and approved by the Senate in February 2026. The reform affects 16,968 glaciers that provide water to 36 river basins serving seven million people across 12 provinces, with meltwater particularly critical for reducing drought impacts in semi-arid regions like Mendoza. Environmentalists and scientists warn the amendment weakens protections for crucial water reserves, with Greenpeace arguing all glaciers function as freshwater reservoirs, while thousands protested the legislation. Milei and governors from mineral-rich provinces including Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta, Mendoza and San Juan defend the reform as empowering provinces to develop resources in areas lacking environmental value while maintaining necessary protections for strategic water reserves.
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