Hundreds evacuated as Guatemalan volcano erupts
Residents were moved to shelters from communities near the Fuego volcano, located 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the capital Guatemala City.
"We prefer to leave rather than mourn the death of everyone in the village later," Celsa Perez, 25, told AFP.
The government suspended local school activities and closed a road linking the south of the country to the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, disaster coordination agency Conred reported.
There have been several such mass evacuations in recent years because Fuego erupted, including in March of this year.
In 2018, 215 people were killed and a similar number left missing when rivers of lava poured down the volcano's slopes, devastating a village.
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WIRED
a day ago
- WIRED
The Plan to Turn the Caribbean's Glut of Sargassum Into Biofuel
Aug 18, 2025 5:00 AM With record-breaking quantities of the seaweed set to hit Mexico's beaches, experts propose converting it into biogas and construction materials, as well as using it to underwrite carbon credits. Photograph: ELIZABETH RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images IN the Caribbean, summer is supposed to be the season of sun, sand, and crystal clear waters—for decades, Mexican vacation destinations like Cancun, Cozumel, and Tulum have been synonymous with paradise. But then the sargassum began to arrive. For the past 15 years, large quantities of this brownish-colored seaweed have been invading beaches around the Gulf of Mexico every summer, its arrival from the open seas coinciding with high tourism seasons. Forecasts from the Optical Oceanography Laboratory at the University of South Florida indicate this summer could be the worst on record, with up to 400,000 tons of sargassum predicted to wash up on Mexican coasts. As well as covering up the sand and spoiling the appearance of the country's pristine beaches, the seaweed releases gases as it decomposes—toxic hydrogen sulfide, as well as the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide. A study by the Inter-American Development Bank estimates that sargassum drives down local GDP by 11.6 percent in Quintana Roo, the coastal state home to the tourist hot spots of Cancun and Playa del Carmen. The Mexican hotel sector says that it costs them more than $100 million a year to clear sargassum from beaches. Exactly what's causing so much seaweed to flood the Caribbean remains a debated topic. Experts have pointed to warmer ocean waters, ever increasing amounts of agricultural fertilizer flowing into the ocean, and changes to ocean currents as potential culprits. But the definitive cause of these algal blooms has yet to be pinned down. For engineer Miguel Ángel Aké Madera, an expert in nonconventional energies, washed up sargassum needs to be processed in large quantities to stop it being a problem—and in his view, this can be achieved by using it to make biofuel. Sargassum (Sargassum natans and Sargassum fluitans) is a macroalgae that spends its entire life cycle floating on the ocean surface. Photograph: RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP via Getty Images 'By processing 500 tons of sargassum, 20,000 cubic meters of biogas is obtained,' says Aké Madera, who is the founder and director of Nopalimex, a Mexican company pioneering generating gas and electricity from biomass and farming waste. A cubic meter of biogas can provide the same amount of energy as a liter of gasoline. 'An average gas station in Mexico sells between 20,000 and 25,000 liters of fuel daily,' he says. '500 tons of sargassum daily could satisfy an equivalent demand.' Esteban Amaro, director of the Quintana Roo Sargassum Monitoring Network, agrees that fuel is the best product to focus on. Processing the seaweed into other consumer products is possible, but inadvisable given that the health risks of doing so have not yet been sufficiently studied. 'I believe that sargassum's purpose is to produce energy, because when it decomposes, it releases many heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and cadmium,' Amaro says. 'Therefore it is better to produce biofuels or biogas than everyday products like clothing or shoes.' A Potential Source of Carbon Credits In the race to dispose of sargassum, there is another viable product—Sargapanel , a construction material developed by researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). These panels use between 60 and 70 kilos of wet sargassum per piece and offer several advantages compared to conventional paneling: The material is around 33 percent more flexible, has greater resistance to impact, and is a fire retardant. In addition, no chemical additives are used in its production, so it can be recycled: Once its life cycle is over, it can be shredded and reintegrated into the production line. 'With this project, not only do we contribute to reducing the problem … we also generate profits from carbon credits. For every 5 tons of wet sargassum, a carbon credit is generated, and each credit is worth between $10 and $30,' says Miriam Estévez González, head of the group that developed Sargapanel at UNAM's Center for Applied Physics and Advanced Technology (CFATA) in Juriquilla, Querétaro. Estévez estimates that if 4,000 tons of dry sargassum were processed into paneling each year, this would generate an annual profit of between $80,000 and $240,000 as well as absorbing the equivalent of 8,000 tons of CO 2 . 'Making a comparison, we would be removing from circulation about a thousand cars,' she says. CFATA scientists, in collaboration with academics from other UNAM departments, have also developed several other products, among them Sargabox—cardboard packaging boxes that are also fire-resistant—as well as filters that can be used to remove contaminants from water, including microplastics. 'In the case of Sargapanel, we already have the necessary scientific studies and a registered and scalable utility model that is fully competitive, and we are approaching some companies that are leaders in construction materials,' says Estévez. On February 28, the governor of the state of Quintana Roo, Mara Lezama Espinosa, announced the formation of the Sargasso Comprehensive Sanitation and Circular Economy Center, whose aim is to shift the macroalgae from being considered a pollution problem toward it being used as an economic and environmental resource. If processed into long-lasting physical products, sargassum can lock away the carbon it draws from the environment to grow; if turned into a biofuel, it can avoid some fossil fuel emissions. The center will mainly promote using sargassum to produce biogas and organic fertilizers—replacements for products that usually result in greenhouse gases being released when made and used. The center will then sell carbon credits off the back of these emissions reductions. 'There are European countries that cultivate algae to generate energy, but it is different, because they sow it specifically in the sea so that it can develop there and then they can process it. In our case, it is an algae that is caused by natural issues, by the increase of the temperature of the seas, by the effect of climate change due to the irrational use we make of our waste that we dump into the sea,' says Aké Madera. 'All this biomass develops in enormous quantities that end up in the Caribbean.' The Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Dominica have developed successful pilot projects for using sargassum for biogas production, but none have done so on a large scale. 'They are waiting to see what Mexico does,' says Aké Madera. Although the center is still under development, two potential sites have been identified in Cancun for its installation. The government of Quintana Roo plans to combine its work with that of wastewater treatment plants, which will produce a blend of sewage and microbes known as 'activated sludge' that can be used to make biogas when there aren't massive quantities of sargassum available. What if the Sargassum Disappears? One of the main limitations of Mexico's proposed sargassum industry is the question of whether such large quantities of the seaweed will always be available. 'There will be atypical years, like the last one, in which little sargassum arrived, due to changes in ocean currents, but it will continue to arrive, if not in Mexico, then in many parts of the Caribbean,' says Estévez. 'We have to learn to be with it and give it a real and efficient use.' For Aké Madera, sargassum, like many other types of biomass, can be used to generate heat energy, electricity, or vehicle biofuel, depending on the processor's priority. He also doesn't see a risk in pushing ahead with plans for a sargassum industry. 'If at any moment sargassum stops arriving, we can replace it with nopal,' a type of cactus. Aké Madera is the owner of several biofuel patents, among them ones for processing nopal and sargassum, and another, a work in progress, that involves tequila vinasse, a byproduct of producing the popular spirit. A worker removes sargassum from the shore of Playa del Carmen beach in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, in June 2025. Photograph: ELIZABETH RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images For now, sargassum appears to be here to stay. Scientific forecasts point to ocean temperatures increasing every year, which creates the ideal breeding ground for the macroalgae, though increasingly research is pointing towards ocean current changes also being a key driver behind seaweed overrunning the Caribbean, and predicting how these might shift in the future is difficult. 'The year with the most sargassum in the Mexican Caribbean area was 2018, with 22 million metric tons—that is, what was floating in the entire Atlantic Ocean, from Africa to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean,' says Amaro. 'However, records of the University of South Florida, published in May, already indicate 37.5 million tons [is present in the water this year], and in June we surely reached 50 million metric tons.' Of this floating sargassum, approximately 1 percent reaches the beaches of Quintana Roo, but this is enough to disrupt tourism across wide range of destinations. Among the worst-affected beaches are those of Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, Bacalar, Cancun, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Mahahual, and Chetumal. Destinations in the north of the peninsula are also affected, but to a lesser extent. For Amaro, sargassum is the biggest environmental issue facing Mexico, as it poses economic, social, environmental, and health problems. Despite this, he says, it's also important to recognize that when it is in the sea, in smaller quantities, the seaweed forms an important part of the local marine ecosystem. 'Many fish larvae, invertebrates, commercially important fish, and other species such as whales and sharks develop there, depending on the shade of the sargassum and its production of food in the early stages of their life cycles.' In the future, some sargassum could be harvested from the sea before it hits Mexico's beaches. On June 9, the Mexican Institute for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Research proposed classifying the algae as a fishery product and listing it in the country's National Fisheries Charter, which would allow it to be harvested and marketed. As part of this proposal, the institute sent a research vessel out to sea to sample and analyze floating sargassum, the water it lives in, and the species it supports. Ultimately, the institute said in a statement, this knowledge could one day 'enable its identification and capture on the high seas, before it reaches the beaches.' This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
The volunteers battling to save Romania's cultural treasures
Graffiti covers the crumbling walls of the main thermal baths in one of Europe's oldest spa towns. But after decades of neglect, a group of young architects is working to restore the picturesque Romanian resort that once attracted emperors. "Someone once said that if you drink water from the spring from Herculane, you never leave," said 31-year-old architect Oana Chirila. "I was struck by the beauty of the place," she said of the town in the southwest of the country, surrounded by mountains and crossed by a river. "And at the same time shocked by its condition," she said of the decrepit state of the old thermal baths. She first stumbled upon Baile Herculane eight years ago, purely by chance, she said. Her group's restoration efforts here are just one of several recent civil society initiatives launched to protect some of Romania's historic monuments. An estimated 800 of them are in an advanced state of decay or in danger of crumbling altogether. Some of those are already considered to represent a danger to the public. The neglect is the result of Romania's chaotic transition from Communism to democracy, which was marked by opaque privatisations, often resulting in interminable legal battles and investigations by anti-corruption prosecutors. - Imperial history - Built in 1886, the Neptune Imperial Baths attracted illustrious clients in its heyday, with its warm sulphur treatments. They included Austria's Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth, popularly known as Sisi. Franz Joseph described the town as Europe's "most beautiful spa resort". Now the baths are closed, their interior walls covered in graffiti, rubble on the floor and rain leaking in. Despite the decay, tourists still frequently stop to marvel at and photograph the long, rusty facade, some trying to peek inside through the broken windows. For the moment, Chirila and her team of volunteers are confined to doing conservation work on the baths' outer structure. They could not restore the building until legal disputes between the authorities and the private owners are solved, she explained, adding: "There's always this fear that it might collapse." "Most of the historical monuments are in their current state –- meaning constant decay –- because they are legally blocked," preventing any use of public or European funds for their restoration. For the moment then, along one side of the riverbank, people take dips in three basins with sulphur water -- dubbed "little bathtubs" by Chirila. It was her team that refurbished the basins and built the changing booths and wooden pavilions, one of a number of projects they have undertaken in the town. When AFP met her, about a dozen students were helping out with the renovation of a path through the woods. - Vital intervention - In recent years, Baile Herculane, a town of 3,800, has seen a steady rise in tourists, say local officials. Some 160,000 tourists came in 2024 -- up from 90,000 in 2020 -- many for spa treatments, but also for the hiking and climbing. "The resort has changed," Aura Zidarita, 50, a doctor, told AFP. She remained hopeful it could once again become a "pearl of Europe". Initiatives such as Chirila's have multiplied in recent years, according to Stefan Balici, president of the Romanian Order of Architects. They represent "a lesson in how citizens' initiatives can intervene in heritage preservation", in a country with little record of investing in the restoration of its monuments. In 2019, young architects got involved in another spa resort, Baile Govora. Chirila admitted she sometimes feared her work on the Imperial Baths is like "putting a bandage on a patient in sepsis". But Balici had no doubt of its value. Without her intervention, he said, the building would be "a pile of rubble" by now. Chirila said she also drew hope from those like herself who believed in investing in the country's heritage. "Herculane ended up like this because of corruption," she said. "But we hope that thanks to good people it will heal." ani/jza/jj/jhb
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business Insider
I grew up in Mumbai and have lived here for years. First-time visitors often make these 8 mistakes.
When I first moved to Mumbai at 15 years old, I instantly fell in love with it. The city is filled with iconic landmarks and charm, plus it's home to the massive Bollywood film industry. It's no surprise that it's among some of the most popular places to visit in India, bringing in millions of tourists annually. While living in various parts of Mumbai over the years, I've seen many of these visitors make the same mistakes, especially on their first trip to the city. Here are a few things I wish tourists would avoid while they're here. Not dressing for the weather Many tourists struggle to dress for the local weather. Sometimes, I can even tell someone's a first-time visitor based on their outfits. As a tropical city, Mumbai doesn't experience dramatic changes in temperature all year. Rather, it stays quite hot and humid and faces dry seasons, then months of intense monsoons. Packing for this climate can be tricky, but remember: Cotton and linen are breathable in humid weather, and quick-dry fabric blends, like nylon and polyester, work best for rain. Also, I highly recommend bringing comfortable, waterproof shoes —walking around Mumbai's rain-slicked streets in heels feels like an Olympic-level challenge. Underestimating the traffic Mumbai consistently ranks among India's most traffic-congested cities. Yet, first-time visitors often make the rookie mistake of not giving themselves lots of extra time to get to their destinations. On some days, going just a few kilometers in a busy area can take up to an hour (if not more), especially during monsoon season. So, while in Mumbai, avoid traveling during peak rush hours when possible and schedule extra time for traffic. Thinking that South Mumbai is the only place to be It is a common misapprehension that South Mumbai (nicknamed "SoBo") is the only part of the city worth exploring. Although the area is known for its luxury living spaces, financial hubs, and landmarks like the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the Gateway of India, SoBo isn't the only place to find charm in Mumbai. While visiting the city, branch out of that area to see other great cafés, markets, galleries, UNESCO World Heritage sites, and shops across the city. For example, head north for a wildlife safari in Sanjay Gandhi National Park or to catch a performance at Prithvi Theatre. Or, go hunting for deals and special fashion finds at Fashion Street or Lokhandwala Market. Avoiding the local trains Trains connect so much of Mumbai and tend to be the speediest, most economical mode of transportation across the city. However, I've seen many first-time visitors feel too intimidated to even give them a try. Yes, they can sometimes feel overwhelmingly crowded — particularly during rush hours — but avoiding them altogether is a mistake. If you only rely on cars to get around, you'll likely spend more money and waste a lot more time in traffic. If you want to make your train experience better, travel during off-peak hours and opt for first-class carriages. Not participating in local culture Mumbai is a fairly welcoming city, but locals still appreciate it when visitors embrace our traditions and adapt to our culture — whether it's celebrating festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi with cultural sensitivity or dressing modestly at religious sites. Although English is widely understood, it's also helpful to learn a few phrases in the commonly spoken local languages, Hindi and Marathi. When in doubt, a heartfelt "namaste" or smile can go a long way — kindness, after all, is universal. Only eating at restaurants instead of trying street food Mumbai serves up incredible cuisine that's hard to forget. However, you're missing out if you only stop at restaurants. Be sure to try street food — doing so is one of the best ways to really soak in the city. Sample local favorites at popular stalls near places like Juhu Beach, Churchgate Station, and Carter Road. Be sure to try bhel puri (a snack made with puffed rice), pav bhaji (a thick vegetable curry usually served with a roll), and pani puri (a crispy hollowed bread often filled with chickpeas and potatoes). Visitors also shouldn't miss a chance to try Mumbai's beloved vada pao, a "burger" that's actually a potato fritter between buns. When in doubt, stick to hot, freshly made dishes from busy stalls or take a guided food tour. Traveling without local currency The Indian rupee is the sole official currency for all financial transactions throughout the city. A lot of shops and restaurants in Mumbai support cashless transactions, but it's always a good idea to have rupees handy — especially if you're buying from smaller vendors at local markets. Fortunately, you can find numerous currency exchange centers citywide, often at airports and travel agencies. Not booking guided tours with local experts To truly experience Mumbai, include a local guided tour in your itinerary. It's a great way to make the most of your trip to the city, especially if you're short on time. Many tours can also be customized depending on what you want to see, whether it's Bollywood studios or Elephanta Caves. Plus, a reputable guide can take you beyond the usual tourist spots while sharing deeper local insights and historic context.
