Coastal Erosion Is Threatening Livelihoods In Morocco

Rabat – Rising sea level threatens to flood entire beaches in the North Africa region, putting at risk millions of livelihoods dependent on coastal activities including tourism, and fisheries, according to a report by the World Bank.

Climate change-induced coastal erosion in Morocco is casting a shadow over economic activities accounting for 10% of Morocco’s GDP, says the report.

Titled “Blue Skies, Blue Seas: Air Pollution, Marine Plastics and Coastal Erosion in the Middle East and North Africa,” the report sheds light on the MENA’s endangered blue natural assets, especially skies and seas.

One key conclusion in the report is that rising air pollution levels, marine-plastic pollution, and coastal erosion rates represent imminent threats to regional blue assets.

It additionally points out that air pollution levels in the MENA are second worldwide, after South Asia, with MENA region urban residents breathing air that is 10 times the level of pollutants labeled as safe.

Marine plastic pollution is an alarming issue in the MENA region including Morocco. The region has the world’s highest rate of used plastic per capita. The MENA region also holds a global record in terms of plastic leaked to seas and oceans per capita, with the Mediterranean sea among the world’s most polluted seas, the report points out.

The rate of coastal erosion in the region is among the fastest worldwide. In some MENA region countries, coastal erosion exceeds 10 times the yearly 7-millimeters worldwide average, indicates the report.

On the health risk associated with the alarming rates of pollution, the report identifies a wide range of potential issues. Air pollution costs an average MENA region resident 60 days of illness, resulting in 270,000 premature deaths in 2019, notes the report.

It concludes that exposure to polluted air for pregnant women increases the risk of children born with physical development issues.