On June 4, Argentina's Supreme Court upheld an environmental law that bans mining on and around the country's glaciers to protect water supplies. A Canadian mining company argued that the law could affect its projects near glacial areas in Argentina and sought to have it declared unconstitutional, but the court found no proof that the ban caused any damage to the company. For the full story, see https://www.apnews.com/4a4dadcc832048258147d9aa5ad80a55.

On December 12, the Argentine Congress passed a bill that establishes two new marine protected areas—the Yaganese Marine National Park and the Namuncurá-Burdwood Bank II Marine National Park—covering a total area of about 37,000 square miles. The parks are home to a diversity of marine creatures, including the South American sea lion, rare cold-water corals, and vulnerable and threatened species, like the black-browed albatross and the South American fur seal. The designation of these two parks increases Argentina's total area of protected ocean to approximately 8 percent.

A court in Argentina convicted two people of illegally spraying chemicals near residential areas in the first case of its kind in the country. The case was widely followed in Argentina, where agrochemical use is widespread and the economy is heavily dependent on farming. The court in Cordoba found two farmers guilty of violating regulations that ban the use of farming chemicals near homes after a campaign by local residents who said the use of the chemicals had harmed their health.