Sargassum build up on a Northern Antiguan beach (picture by Cory Wayland – Antigua.news)
With the warmer months comes the seasonal scourge of sargassum – the seaweed invasion that assaults the island’s beautiful shoreline and threatens to turn paradise into an eyesore. This year is no different, as many Caribbean countries struggle with what has become the new normal.
Should this mutual problem inspire more forward progression in regional cooperation between CARICOM countries? Many experts and government officials seem to think so.
Great story! It’s essential to raise awareness about the challenges sargassum presents to the beautiful Caribbean shores. And, just as the story suggests, we can use lemons to make lemonade. We can utilize that smelly, stinky thing and generate gas, as I have seen many trying to do. We are still in the exploration stage, so let’s continue the exploration
The smell of this is so bad and no one is thinking of working on it. This is not healthy for us.
So, with this story out, will something be done? Are the officials going to side line it like it’s nothing?
Beyond just cleaning it up, the ‘synergy’ needs to be about turning this problem into an opportunity. Are other islands successfully converting it into fertilizer or other products? How can we scale those solutions regionally? This video needs to spark not just cooperation on collection, but on innovation and economic diversification from sargassum. It’s a massive biomass; let’s find a collective way to make it work for us.
Every year they coming up with all kinds of ideas of things to do with it and nothing ever happens
The ongoing problem of sargassum seaweed invading our shores is raising some important questions about how we work together in the Caribbean when it comes to managing our environment. That matter needs more research if you ask me. As this issue has become more common, it’s clear we need to come together as CARICOM countries to tackle it. And every year the week seem to increase and smell more eh. I am thinking that this shared challenge actually inspire us to come up with new solutions
We should also think about whether dealing with the sargassum problem could lead to better collaboration on bigger environmental policies, sustainable tourism practices, and managing our marine resources.