Our hearts go out to Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic as they grapple with the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. The full impact is still being tallied, but …
November 5, 2025
September 2, 2025
Could dying reefs fuel ciguatera poisoning?
Caribbean governments are struggling to track and manage ciguatera fish poisoning, which is commonly under-reported. As oceans warm and coral reefs degrade in the region, some scientists fear the illness …
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August 20, 2025
From AI to zinc: Scientists race to save reefs amid bleaching crisis
As record coral bleaching swept across the Caribbean over the past two years, scientists rushed to save the reefs using tools like multivitamins, artificial intelligence and underwater speakers. But the …
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August 19, 2025
Special envoy calls for climate justice
The upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil must deliver a just outcome for small island states in the Caribbean and further abroad, Virgin Islands Special Envoy Benito Wheatley …
July 31, 2025
Coral bleaching ravages Caribbean reefs as aid falls short
A historic coral bleaching event has swept across the Caribbean over the past two years, threatening the ecosystems that feed, protect and sustain life across the region. This multi-part investigation, …
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September 30, 2024
EDITORIAL: Fund the climate fund now
Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley is right to seek international funding to help the territory adapt to climate change. But if he wants to be taken seriously abroad, he must …
May 1, 2024
EDITORIAL: Sargassum is back, and the VI is not prepared
Sargassum is once again arriving on the shores of the Caribbean, but the Virgin Islands is not ready. Given the seaweed’s recent impacts in the territory, this is most unfortunate. …
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April 19, 2024
After 13 years, no end in sight for Caribbean sargassum invasion
Schools evacuated due to toxic gas. Smelly tap water at home. Tourist operators and fishers struggling to stay in business. Job losses. Power outages affecting tens of thousands of people …
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December 18, 2023
EDITORIAL: Coral die-off is a crisis for the Virgin Islands
An environmental disaster is unfolding before our eyes, but it is receiving far too little attention and response. Historic heat waves this summer are causing a massive coral bleaching event …
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December 11, 2023
EDITORIAL: COP28 a big deal for Virgin Islands
What happened in Dubai this month at the United Nations Climate Change Conference won’t stay in Dubai. It will have wide-ranging ramifications for the Virgin Islands and the wider Caribbean …
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December 8, 2023
Coral bleaching follows record summer heat
Across the territory in recent weeks, reefs have been turning white. The record high temperatures this summer created conditions for what will likely be the most devastating coral bleaching event …
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September 4, 2023
Coral die-off likely this year
As darkness fell over Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park on Aug. 26, children crowded around a white canvas, picking bright pinks, oranges and greens to fill in the outline …
September 9, 2022
Leaders plan for upcoming COP27
Caribbean countries are working to learn the best ways to finance measures for mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said in a …
December 23, 2019
Slow progress at climate talks bodes ill for Virgin Islands
MADRID — No Virgin Islands delegation took part in the negotiations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference this month in Madrid, but decisions made as the fractious two-week meeting …
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November 13, 2019
Sea rise likely to displace Caribbean towns
As sea levels continue to rise in the coming decades, entire communities in the Caribbean and elsewhere probably will be forced to relocate even if large nations keep the pledges …
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September 24, 2019
Coral already weakened by warming seas
Scientists believe that global warming has been affecting Caribbean corals for decades, weakening reefs and making them more susceptible to maladies like Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. Several warming-related bleaching …
July 9, 2019
EDITORIAL: Government is dropping the ball on climate change
The new government’s bumbling on climate change is endangering the territory’s future. On April 24, the Cabinet decided to revoke the membership of the Climate Change Trust Fund board, a …
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May 15, 2019
How to be carbon neutral: A Q&A with Bhutan’s former prime minister
The Virgin Islands’ Recovery to Development Plan promises to make the territory “near carbon neutral.” But what does that mean exactly, and how would it get done? The Beacon recently …
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December 3, 2018
EDITORIAL: Climate Change Trust Fund should get eco-levy money
In 2015 the Virgin Islands proudly set an example when it became the first government in the Caribbean to pass a legal framework for a climate change trust fund. To …
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April 29, 2018
Islands Adrift: Trump politics hinder USVI climate change prep
PUERTO RICO CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM — When you approach St. John from the water now, the United States Virgin Island at first appears untouched by hurricanes Irma and Maria. …
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