by Eulana Weekes
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): For a long time, hurricanes have been the most dramatic climate-related concern for the Caribbean, but in recent years, another environmental issue has steadily emerged.
The Sargassum, commonly referred to as seaweed in St. Kitts and Nevis and other neighbouring islands, comes with equally disruptive consequences, as it has increasingly washed ashore in massive quantities.
Beaches in the neighbouring territory, St. Maarten, were inundated with plenty of sargassum in May 2025. The pungent smell and unsightly appearance were deterring tourists. Heavy machinery and specialised teams were summoned to the affected beaches to clear the sargassum away.
In particular, in St. Kitts and Nevis, the government, hotels and resorts must bear the cost of regular cleanups to maintain the image of the island’s pristine beaches, as well; more so those on the Atlantic side of the country.
Just as the Caribbean developed hurricane preparedness systems, it must now build resilience against sargassum. Dr Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, explained that the region is taking a science-based approach to address the sargassum crisis, supported by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
“There are other things about climate change, for example, the sargassum- that’s the seaweed that is really affecting our beaches. We are doing research and we are seeking to unite as a region to see what seaweed can be used for, so that we can change something that is affecting us negatively, to something that can benefit us. Therefore, those are the types of innovations that we want to bring as a region.”
In the backdrop of the third UN Ocean Conference 2025 in Nice, France, an official side event was held, dedicated to the Sargassum crisis. There, St. Kitts and Nevis, along with the other members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), demonstrated strong regional leadership, collaboration, and innovation in ocean sustainability, which included the adoption of the International Action Plan for the Management of Sargassum Floods.
One of the promising innovations being discussed to address the challenge is the development of a large-scale seaweed harvesting and processing initiative. Sargassum is considered a valuable raw material for products such as fertilisers, biofuels, and bioplastics, as well as a resource for creating sustainable items, including construction materials.
Despite the environmental and economic impacts of Sargassum, the collection and repurposing of this resource could also have a spin-off effect, creating a sustainable business model that generates employment and benefits local communities and economies.
Meanwhile, the neighbouring island nation, Antigua and Barbuda, shipped large containers of Sargassum Seaweed to Finland in 2021 as part of an initiative that was being explored there, and Prime Minister Gaston Bowne said the long-term goal of the initiative was to establish a biorefinery in Antigua and Barbuda where sargassum can be processed into a range of products.
