350 delegates, 45 nations, one stinky problem: Cancún turns its seaweed crisis into an industry

The sargassum burying Caribbean beaches — some 38 million tons of it last year, about 60 million this year, and a projected 80 million in 2027 — just got treated like an opportunity. In Cancún this week, 350 representatives from 45 countries and territories, convened by the EU and Mexico's environment ministry, worked on turning the stinking tide into a regional industry: fertilizer, fuel, laminates, bioplastics, construction materials. Mexico separately put 2 billion pesos (about $108 million) into collection barriers and processing plants. The mood has shifted from hauling the stuff away to building with it.