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☆ Live updates: Nobel Peace prize 2023 is set to be awarded
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Christian Edwards | Ed Upright | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Smoke from Canadian wildfires casts a haze over New York on June 7. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty ImagesWhile the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced today, recipients do not receive their prizes until an official ceremony in December. By this time, the world will be going through an “El Niño” winter -- when ocean temperatures are warmer than normal for an extended period. For Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, El Niño is set to round off a year in which the climate disaster has become clear to all. The hottest temperatures ever in this place, that place and the other… And as yet El Niño hasn’t kicked in.”

Persons: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, Dan Smith, El Niño, ”, El Niño hasn’t Organizations: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, CNN Locations: New York, Stockholm, El, China, Pakistan, Canada, Mexico

☆ Nobel Peace Prize could give a glimmer of hope amid era of conflict and climate crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded in Norway on Friday, as Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine rages on and other flashpoints threaten to ignite across the globe. But the peace prize can serve as a beacon of hope in fraught and fractured times. “I think it’s precisely in a situation like this that the peace prize becomes particularly important. But Nobel specialists have been quick to dismiss such speculation, saying it is rare for the peace award to go to a wartime leader. “It would be like saying in 1941 that (then-British Prime Minister) Winston Churchill should get the Nobel Peace Prize.

Persons: humanity’s, “ There’s, ” Dan Smith, ” Henrik Urdal, Volodymyr Zelensky, Winston Churchill, Zelensky, ” Smith, Bryan R, Smith, Urdal, “, ”, ” Urdal, Alfred Nobel’s, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Center for Civil Liberties –, Ales Bialiatski, Dmitry Muratov, Muratov, ANDERSEN, El Niño, El Niño hasn’t, Victoria Tauli, Annie Ling, Juan Carlos Jintiach, Raoni Metuktire, Evaristo Sa, Lula da Silva Organizations: CNN, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Peace Research Institute, British, Getty, International Court of Justice, ICJ, Criminal Court, ICC, Ukraine – Memorial, Center for Civil Liberties, AFP, UN, New York Times, Brazilian Amazon, Brazil Locations: Norway, Ukraine, Stockholm, Peace Research Institute Oslo, Europe, SIPRI, AFP, Russia, Rome, Belarusian, Russian, Oslo, China, Pakistan, Canada, New York, Mexico, ”, Victoria, Ecuadorian, Brazilian, Amazonia

Millions of tons of sargassum wash up on beaches across North America every year. Exposure can lead to breathing problems, and it costs millions to clean it up. Now, one Mexican entrepreneur is building houses out of bricks made from the invasive species.

Locations: North America

☆ In Florida, Swimmers Brave an Ocean That Feels Like Steamy Syrup
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Patricia Mazzei | More About Patricia Mazzei | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The water temperature near Key Biscayne, a barrier island just east of Miami, had already passed 89 degrees one morning this week. And though the ocean off South Florida was slightly cooler than the recent record highs that had stunned scientists and threatened marine life, it remained phenomenally hot. But on this serene patch of the Atlantic Coast, it was still a summer day at the beach, when nothing satisfies quite like a dip — even when the ocean feels like a thick, simmering syrup. “I like it warm,” shrugged Niki Candela, 20, a Miami native, moments after a powerful siren warned of approaching lightning. The shallow water was a crystalline teal, rolling oh so gently, not a cresting wave in sight.

Persons: “, shrugged Niki Candela Locations: Key Biscayne, Miami, South Florida, Gulf of Mexico

☆ The huge blob of seaweed headed for Florida has shrunk by 75%
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Florida vacations are back on, sans stinky seaweed. In April, the seaweed set a record, with scientists identifying 3 million tons of sargassum in the Caribbean Sea. The sargassum that lands on Florida beaches originates in the Gulf of Mexico and the western Caribbean, Hu went on. Small amounts of the seaweed may still land on Florida beaches, but not in large enough quantities to present a problem, according to Hu. But while Florida enjoys clean beaches, in the eastern Caribbean, “they’ll still see a lot of sargassum,” Hu noted.

Persons: Chuanmin Hu, ”, Hu, “ they’ll, ” Hu, Sargassum, sargassum Organizations: CNN, University of South, Oceanography, Florida beachgoers, Sunshine, Optical Oceanography, Central West Atlantic Locations: Florida, Gulf, Mexico, West Africa, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Straits, University of South Florida, of Mexico, Lesser, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico

☆ Good News, Florida. The Giant Seaweed Blob Has Shrunk.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Livia Albeck-Ripka | More About Livia Albeck-Ripka | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For months, Florida’s usually picturesque coast was plagued by a rotting tangle of seaweed, known as sargassum. Scientists said they had expected the sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico to wane eventually — but not so fast, or by so much. “That is a surprise,” said Chuanmin Hu, a professor of oceanography at the University of South Florida, noting that there was still “a lot of sargassum” in the Tropical Atlantic. “The good news is the sargassum season for Florida is very likely over for this year. Last month, the amount of sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico dropped by a staggering 75 percent, Dr. Hu and colleagues at the University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab noted in a bulletin published last week.

Persons: Beachgoers, ”, Chuanmin Hu, it’s, . Hu Organizations: University of South, Oceanography Locations: Gulf, Mexico, University of South Florida, Florida, Eastern Caribbean

☆ Flesh-eating bacteria on beaches: What to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Out of more than 100 Vibrio species, about 12 — the most common in the US being Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio alginolyticus — can cause a human illness known as vibriosis. Vibrio vulnificus is the species that can cause flesh-eating infections, known as necrotizing fasciitis. Vibrio bacteria can enter through even minor wounds, including cuts, scrapes, scratches, recent piercings, new tattoos or surgical incisions. Even though the risk of a Vibrio vulnificus infection is low, if contracted the effects can be severe. Around 1 in 5 people infected with Vibrio vulnificus die, sometimes within a day or two of getting sick.

Persons: Daniel Slim, Vibrio, vulnificus, it’s, ”, Jae Williams, wasn’t, Tracy Mincer, “, Linda Amaral, Williams, “ It’s, ” Williams, parahaemolyticus, Hurricane Ian, Vibrio vulnificus, Don’t Organizations: CNN, Research, Florida Atlantic University, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Florida Department of Health, Florida, Branch Oceanographic Institute, University of Amsterdam Locations: Florida, United States, Africa, Gulf of Mexico, Cancun, AFP, Caribbean, Hurricane, sargassum

☆ A giant seaweed mass heading for Florida's beaches is full of potentially dangerous bacteria that threatens a 'pathogen storm,' a study found
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A giant stretch of Sargassum seaweed is headed toward the beaches of Florida and Mexico. The interplay between plastic marine debris and bacteria could cause a "pathogen storm," a study found. The potentially dangerous Vibrio can stick to the plastic debris that gets caught in the mass of seaweed, the study found in seawater samples from the Caribbean and Sargasso seas. While there are some fears about the bacteria's "flesh-eating" qualities, experts told LiveScience this possibility was relatively uncommon. "What is important is that individuals should take caution," Jae Williams, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health, told LiveScience.

Persons: —, Linda Amaral, Andrew, Kofi Jones, Vibrio, Tracy Mincer, Mincer, LiveScience, sargassum, Jae Williams Organizations: Service, NASA, Research, Florida Atlantic University, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Florida Department of Health Locations: Florida, Mexico, Sargassum, Caribbean, Lakes, sargassum, St, Barbados

☆ Meet the climate startup turning a 5,000-mile stretch of seaweed from a plague of coastal communities into a giant carbon store
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

London-based Seaweed Generation is one such startup dedicated to seaweed sequestration. She's part of a wave of new "blue economy" entrepreneurs taking advantage of seaweed for carbon removal. Seaweed GenerationThe seaweed RoombaEstridge's Seaweed Generation has developed a robot that she described as a "Roomba meets Pac-Man." Seaweed Generation will work in waters with around 4,000 meters of depth and no upwelling current, which could bring sargassum back to the surface. Seaweed Generation has a planned pilot with the government of Antigua, which is invested in protecting its tourism industry.

☆ Floating sea life thrive in Great Pacific Garbage Patch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Translucent, fragile marine creatures that drift through the sea are riding the motion of the ocean to a destination that’s infamous as a home for trash: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. A surprising number of delicate, floating invertebrates, called neustons, are making the Great Pacific Garbage Patch home, according to data from a new study. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the Sargasso Sea are both oceanic gyres — marine zones where multiple ocean currents converge to form a vortex (though the Sargasso Sea is known for its floating algae rather than drifting garbage). There are five main oceanic gyres, and the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is where the best-known garbage patch lies. But when long-distance swimmer and environmental activist Benoît Lecomte swam through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2019, he and his crew gathered data on floating life as well as drifting litter.

☆ Those Seaweed Blobs Headed for Florida? See How Big They Are.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Elena Shao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Scientists say they spotted more than 13 million tons of Sargassum, a yellowish-brown seaweed, drifting in the Atlantic Ocean last month — a record for the month of March. NORTH AMERICA March 2023 Atlantic Ocean The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt grew to an estimated 13.5 million metric tons of seaweed this spring. Tangles of the goopy, leafy seaweed have already begun to wash ashore beaches in southern Florida and Mexico. Floating mats of seaweed accumulate in the central Atlantic Ocean for much of the year. But during the spring and summer, patches of it are carried by ocean currents toward the Caribbean, eastern Florida and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast.

☆ Larry Fink's annual letter to BlackRock investors was about getting back to basics
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink GettyImages / Eugene Gologursky1. If you're looking for controversy in Larry Fink's annual open letter to investors, better luck next year. Despite this year's letter clocking in at roughly 9,000 words — have you thought about getting an editor, Larry? — Fink largely avoided discussing a favorite, albeit controversial, topic of his: ESG investing. Click here to read more about Larry Fink's latest annual letter that largely avoided hot political topics.

☆ A 5,000-mile blanket of seaweed that can be seen from space threatens the beaches of Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This year's seaweed bloom of 'Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt' is one of the largest on record. It is the largest seaweed bloom in the world — weighing approximately 20 million tons — and is visible from outer space. "It's incredible," Brian LaPointe, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, told NBC News. Workers who were hired by residents remove sargassum seaweed from the Bay of Soliman, north of Tulum, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. "I think I've replaced my climate change anxiety with sargassum anxiety," Patricia Estridge, CEO of Seaweed Generation, told The Guardian.

☆ A 5,000-mile blanket of seaweed that can be seen from space is threatens the beaches of Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The governing board of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, the public corporation currently in charge of energy generation on the island, approved a contract that brings the U.S. territory one step closer to privatizing power generation. Less than 4% of Puerto Rico’s power generation currently comes from renewable energy. Power generation units in Puerto Rico are on average about 45 years old, twice those of the U.S. mainland. As part of the ongoing privatization process, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority relinquished the island’s power transmission and distribution system to Luma Energy. It’s unclear whether privatizing power generation would have any impact on such efforts.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The government of Puerto Rico is a step closer to privatizing power generation on the island despite widespread skepticism among consumers, who crave a reliable source of electricity after decades of random power outages. The contract needs to be approved by the governing board of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority and signed by Gov. Power generation units in Puerto Rico are on average about 45 years old, twice those of the U.S. mainland. The system was previously managed by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. The privatization process follows ongoing issues around Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority's bankruptcy.

Luma Energy secured an extension on its temporary contract Wednesday following a 4-1 vote by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s board. Government officials promised Luma Energy and the partial privatization of the power grid would improve electric services. On other occasions, Luma Energy blamed outages on bad weather and sargassum, a type of seaweed. Still unresolved is the bankruptcy proceeding for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, which owes nearly $9 billion, the largest debt of any government agency. As soon as a federal judge approves a debt restructuring plan for the power authority, Luma Energy's contract will become permanent for 15 years.

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