Clean energy solutions for sargassum removal

My name is Victoria Solano, I am from Long Island, New York and I am seventeen years old. I attend Our Lady of Mercy Academy. I consider myself a globally conscious advocate of human rights and constantly strive to better the condition of the less fortunate. I am an FXB Climate Advocate Ambassador and I hope to better the world through leadership.

In recent years the breathtaking beaches in Mexico’s Caribbean coastline have been fiercely infiltrated by a type of seaweed called sargassum. My family is from Mexico and I am very passionate about improving lives and mitigating climate change in Mexico. By using non-renewable energy to clear the beaches, the Mexican government is exacerbating the problem by expelling carbon emissions that caused the sargassum issue to begin with.

As an FXB Climate Advocate Ambassador with a dual-citizenship in Mexico, I have focused my studies on marine life specifically in the Caribbean Sea. Presence of sargassum is exacerbated as a result of climate change. As the Earth’s largest carbon reservoir, the ocean is acidifying due to an increase in carbon emissions. The photosynthetic phytoplankton on the sargassum can’t survive an increase in acidity and as a result the sargassum is expelled.

Sargassum infiltration jeopardizes the tourism that Mexico’s economy relies on. In 2022 alone, Mexico estimated a 13.8% decline in tourism. Higher seaweed levels lead to increased use of non-renewable pumps. Traveling to Costa Rica as a Youth Ambassador, I visited a beach in the Guanacaste region with the organization Green Wolf and witnessed the same problem.

How can I work to end this dangerous cycle? Through the FXB Climate Advocates program, I found an answer to this: Work collectively with a group of unwavering youth advocates to fight against climate change.

My climate action project is to identify and amplify sustainable solutions to clear beaches in Florida and globally using green energy. Through FXB’s incredible resources and networks, I hope to pave the way for a greener, and more sustainable tomorrow.