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Research conducted by medical research company MedicalAid has concluded that Morocco ranks among the top three countries with the most severe health impacts due to climate change.
This finding is part of a larger series of conclusions that ranked 103/195 countries in order of least climate health impact to most climate health impact. The findings are based upon an environmental index that MedicalAid created which takes into account several environmental factors that affect the health of an individual.
The factors that were analyzed to create the environmental index include the prevalence of unsafe drinking water, unsafe sanitation, ozone exposure, lead exposure, and volatile organic compound exposure (such as toxic fuels). The index also took into account air quality, temperature increases, and co2 emissions.
Air Quality and Lead Exposure in Morocco
Out of all factors that were considered, air quality negatively impacted Morocco’s ranking the most. This is in line with a Greenpeace finding that Morocco is among the top 25 countries worldwide causing air pollution.
The burning of fossil fuels to sustain industrial facilities and power plants is the main cause of air pollution in Morocco. Exhaust fumes from automobiles and trucks that were manufactured under lower standards for emissions also contribute to Morocco’s air pollution.
This pollution is proven to increase the presence of asthma and other respiratory infections among Morocco’s inhabitants.
Morocco also scored quite poorly for lead exposure, with lead paint being one of the most common sources of exposure, especially for young kids. Until 2020, Morocco did not place any regulations on the amount of lead that was permitted to be found in paint before it could be sold.
Additionally, a UNICEF report found that lead is particularly present in spices in Morocco. The same report estimated that 1,867,720 children in Morocco have blood lead levels above five micrograms per decilitre (µg/dL). Many medical experts agree that any amount above 3.5µg/dL requires immediate action.
Disproportionate Impacts of Climate Change
While it is true Morocco significantly contributes to its own climate health impacts, research also shows that countries that are most often negatively affected by climate change are not necessarily the most significant contributors to climate change.
A November 2021 article from the New York Times took data from The Global Carbon Project’s fossil CO2 emissions dataset and notes that wealthy countries, including the US, Canada, Japan, and Western Europe make up only 12 percent of the world’s population, but are responsible for 50 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet.
Morocco’s Efforts to Combat Climate Change
Despite many countries contributing to climate change at a much greater rate than Morocco, the country has taken steps to reduce its own climate emissions.
After the Paris Climate Agreement, Morocco submitted an enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution plan that outlined the country’s current efforts to change the trajectory of climate change. The plan includes reducing 45.5 percent of its emissions by 2030.
According to the Climate Action Tracker, as of April 2023, Morocco’s climate action levels were “almost sufficient.” Further action, however, must be taken to phase out coal in order to sufficiently reach Morocco’s goals.
Climate Health and Living Choices
These findings come at a time when medical experts are increasingly understanding climate change to be potentially the greatest factor impacting human health. Between 2030 and 2050, The World Health Organization projects that climate change will cause nearly 250,000 additional deaths every year.
An increasing number of individuals who have the privilege to choose where they want to live will inevitably take into consideration the impacts of climate change on specific regions when making their choices.
Previous environmental indices have used different factors to determine the health risks of a country due to climate change. For example, the WHO takes into account the frequency of extreme weather, such as hurricanes, which MedicalAid elected to omit. These choices, about which factors to consider and how to weigh each factor, slightly impact the resulting rankings of the countries.
Data for MedicalAid’s index was obtained by MedicalAid from Yale University’s Environmental Performance Index, European Commission’s Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research, IMF’s Climate Change Indicators Dashboard.
