Argentina approves Milei’s glacier mining bill amid environmental protests

Legislative change backed by libertarian president makes it easier to extract metals in frozen parts of the Andes

Argentina’s congress has approved a bill promoted by the libertarian president, Javier Milei, that authorises mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost, outraging environmentalists.

The amendment to the “glacier law”, which was already approved by the senate in February, would make it easier to mine for metals such as copper, lithium and silver in frozen parts of the Andes mountains.