A number of Argentine NGOs, rights groups and environmentalists have stated their deep unrest and rejection of alleged lobbying by large multinational mining companies in Congress during the treatment of President Javier Milei’s omnibus reform law.
Via a joint statement, the groups warned of the potential impact of the removal of Argentina’s ‘Ley de Glaciers’ – one of the articles included in the sweeping package. Tomorrow (Tuesday, February 6), lawmakers in Congress will vote on the bill article-by-article, including whether the Glacier Law should be struck down.
Alarms were triggered the minute the bill presented by the Executive Branch. Among the changes proposed by the bill, it would allow the moving forward of mining exploitation in periglacial areas, an activity currently banned.
The Glacier Law is a landmark piece of legislation in environmental matters seeking to safeguard one of the essential ecosystems for the livelihood and work of the population, the organisations warned in a press release. In it, the co-signatories observe that the attempt is a “regressive modification” and should be perceived as a “clear attack on environmental protection and the country’s strategic natural assets.”
Milei’s government wishes to move forward with permits for mining activity in areas currently protected. This would lead to the destruction of such settings, “thus seriously harming the ecological balance and the quality of life of the communities relying on these ecosystems,” the press release states.
“If the regressions of the Glacier Law are actually approved, it will be only because provincial powers and deputies have budged to the lobby of big mining companies. There’s no other explanation to go against the livelihood and health of the population and the waters of our territory. Provincial representatives hold historic and institutional responsibility to prove to the population that they won’t give in to the mining lobby,” the release continues.
The statement, issued by the Argentine Association of Environmentalist Lawyers, rejects the modifications to the defence of the environment, while also denouncing the alleged “disproportionate” influence that the large mining corporations exert over democratic institutions, specifically provincial governments and Congress.
“From the social and environmental organisations of the whole country, we demand deputies [from all parties] categorically reject the modifications of the Glacier Law. The vigilant eyes of the entire country, popular memory and political history are all watching closely what happens in this crucial moment,” it continues.
The warning was signed by tens of leaders from high-profile social, human rights and environmentalist organisations, among them Nora Cortiñas, from the Madres of Plaza de Mayo–Línea Fundadora, and Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize winner and honorary president of the SERPAJ Peace and Justice Service.
Amnesty International Argentina, Greenpeace Argentina, the Cels Centre for Legal and Social Studies, the Wetlands Multisector Organisation and the UTT Union of Soil Workers are also among the signatories.
Tomorrow starting at 2 m the debate will be resumed in the Chamber of Deputies to vote on the articles of the law. The glacier law debate is one of the thorniest between the ruling party and the opposition open to dialogue, whereas the position of Peronism and the left is total rejection.
– TIMES/PERFIL
Comments