Large amounts of seaweed have been washing up on the beaches of Sierra Leone and other countries in West Africa and the Caribbean. Scientists say climate change may be to blame. Local environmental protection authorities plan to bring it up at the U.N.’s climate change summit in Paris.

As Sierra Leone is trying to bounce back from the worst Ebola outbreak in history, it now is turning attention back to other pressing issues, including excessive seaweed on its pristine beaches.

The problem has been apparent for the past several years during the country’s rainy season, which can last about six months.

The beaches become entirely blanketed with sargassum seaweed. It’s normal to have some of this seaweed, but not the amount that’s been showing up lately.

Climate change may be a factor.

Climate change impact