Along the Chile-Argentina border lies an unofficial ice-bound micro-nation. Covering 23,000 square kilometres, the Glacier Republic, as it is known, was established by Greenpeace Chile high in the Andes mountains, complete with a tented capital.
Chile contains 82 per cent of South America’s glaciers. They are a primary source of freshwater, yet laws do not guard them adequately from the mining industry. ‘Neither the constitution nor the water code mentions glaciers as public goods that need to be protected,’ explains Matías Asún, director of Greenpeace Chile in the Glacier Republic’s declaration statement.
