Rabat – Morocco, alongside the CEO of France’s National Center for Space Studies (CNES) Philippe Baptiste, signed a Declaration of Interest of the Space Climate Observatory (SCO) last week. Represented by Morocco’s Royal Research Center and Space Studies (CRERS) and the Royal Center for Space Remote Sensing (CRTS), Morocco is the 33rd signatory of the agreement.
France and Morocco signed a tripartite agreement in 2015 between the CNES-CRERS-CRTS.
According to a CNES press release, “Philippe Baptiste welcomed Morocco to the SCO and expressed his gratitude for this decision to continue to contribute, through the expertise of its national institutions and scientific communities, to the common effort to find innovative solutions. monitoring and adaptation to climate change.”
The SCO is concerned with combating climate change through innovative strategies such as using satellite imaging and other space-based technologies to observe the Earth’s climate patterns.
In addition, the SCO “aims to become an important tool for decision-making on preparedness, adaptation, and resilience to the impacts of climate change at the local level,” according to the SCO website.
Morocco has sought to maintain its position as a regional leader in fighting climate change. By promoting green-focused entrepreneurs and implementing new climate conscious initiatives, Morocco aims to be 50% reliant on renewable resources by 2030.
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In February 2021, the SCO accepted a two-part project, IRRISAT-Morocco, that “aims to implement a system to help optimize irrigation water using satellite data.” The project will utilize thermal infrared imaging systems and a Satellite for Irrigation Scheduling (SAT’IRR) system to better equip Moroccan farmers with the necessary information to maximize crop output while remaining conscious of the kingdom’s water conservation efforts.
Morocco’s Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water, along with other governmental actors, proposed the IRRISAT-Morocco project to the SCO, making it one of the first of three projects to receive the international SCO label.
