People walk past sargassum clumps on the sand in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, earlier this month. Dominican President Luis Abinader has issued an urgent call to recognize the scale of the environmental crisis posed by sargassum in the Caribbean, warning that the phenomenon could deal “a significant blow to the GDP of island nations.” Photo by Orlando Barria/EPA
July 23 (UPI) -- At the United Nations Ocean Conference in June, Dominican President Luis Abinader issued an urgent call to recognize the scale of the environmental crisis posed by sargassum in the Caribbean.
He warned the phenomenon could deal "a significant blow to the GDP of island nations."
Sargassum, a floating macroalgae, has shifted from a rare anomaly to a chronic threat, hitting the tourism industries of countries such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic, where tourism makes up 19% of GDP.
This season, sargassum levels could hit a record high, with up to 25 million metric tons estimated across the Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The economic effect could surpass that of previous years.
