World Bank: Moroccan Cities Are Increasingly ‘Vulnerable’ to Climate Change

Rabat – Moroccan cities are “becoming increasingly vulnerable to natural and climate hazards,” the World Bank has said in a new report.

While they contribute to more than 75% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Moroccan cities currently have a high level of exposure to extreme weather events such as floods, heatwaves, and droughts, in addition to rising sea levels, the report emphasized.

The World Bank estimates that the economic cost of climate change averages over half a trillion dollars every year for Morocco, in addition to endangering the lives of local populations and their livelihoods.

Projections are that, under the current circumstances, disadvantaged segments of society will most likely experience the worst of the economic repercussions of climate change in Morocco.

The report noted that the Moroccan government has taken “decisive” action in response to the deteriorating state of Moroccan cities in the face of the climate crisis. In general, the government’s response mechanism has centered around encouraging climate risk management and establishing climate adaptation measures for cities.

Through a number of partnerships with the World Bank, Morocco has set a number of action plans for climate risk management, the most recent of which is the Fez 2022-2027 Action Plan.

The plan aims to encourage measures to identify and implement natural-based solutions to mitigate risks associated with adverse weather events. It also seeks to encourage measures that would protect city residents, the local economy, and infrastructure against such events.

Improving living standards and food security are also part of the Fez 2022-2027 Action Plan, stressed the report.

Mohammedia and Ain Harrouda are two of the Moroccan cities that have benefited from national strategies aiming to minimize their exposure to climate calamities. The two cities are especially vulnerable to coastal erosion and rising sea levels.

The plan for the two cities includes a commitment to bringing together various stakeholders and combining existing data on the climate threat to the cities to establish a “holistic” approach to urban and coastal climate management.