How ‘Undone Science’ Shaped Chile’s Glacier Protection Battle

Nature & Climate Perspective

**The systematic neglect of glacier science in Chile directly compromises the integrity of mountain cryosphere ecosystems, threatening critical freshwater reserves and adjacent high-altitude carbon sinks. **

• Cryospheric degradation accelerates the loss of unique high-altitude wetland ecosystems (vegas) and alpine biodiversity that rely on sustained, seasonal glacial meltwater.
• The decline of glacial buffers triggers soil erosion and limits the carbon sequestration capacity of surrounding high-altitude grasslands, severely impacting regional LULUCF dynamics.
• This scientific data deficit directly conflicts with the ICVCM Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) on robust quantification, as the absence of baseline cryosphere data makes it impossible to accurately measure additionality and permanence in mountain-based offset projects.