Rabat – While attending the US’s Leaders Summit on Climate Change Thursday, April 22, Morocco’s Minister of Energy, Mines, and Environment Aziz Rabbah underlined Morocco’s recent efforts to fight climate change.
The minister spoke about Morocco’s new climate-conscious reforms in the presence of foreign ministers from Thailand, Portugal, Qatar, Ireland, Fiji, Rwanda, Pakistan, and the Netherlands.
Morocco’s minor contribution of 0.18% to global greenhouse gas emissions is largely due to the plethora of programs initiated by King Mohammed VI, securing the country’s position as an African leader in combating climate change.
Programs such as the 2020-2050 National Water Plan seek to improve Morocco’s water supply by building dams, rerouting water basins, desalinating seawater, integrating rural centers into drinking water supply, and providing water resources for sustainable agriculture.
Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani announced the program in December 2019 and stated it will cost approximately MAD 383 billion ($43 billion).
Other impactful programs have led to Morocco’s lessening carbon footprint. The Green Generation Plan (PMV) seeks to bolster the commercial side of agriculture, strengthen the kingdom’s economy, and lower the overall amount of hunger in Morocco. The PMV, in partnership with the Forests of Morocco Plan, will plant 600,000 hectares of forest plantations across the entire country by 2030.
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The kingdom continues to point out the importance of investing in developing nations as they struggle to combat climate change due to their poor economic situations. Morocco, along with other international actors such as the US, contributes to a total of nearly $70 billion in investments towards developing nations’ economies every year.
Although the Leaders Summit on Climate Change featured foreign leaders from 40 countries, it served as a precursor to the United Nation’s COP26 that will take place in Glasgow in late 2021.
The 2021 Climate Change Performance Index ranked Morocco 7th out of 57, and the country is determined to continue climbing the global ecological ladder over the next few decades as it implements new programs and takes part in further international discussions on the environment.
