Rabat – The European Investment Bank (EIB) published on December 20 the first African edition of the EIB 2022 Climate Survey, revealing that climate change is affecting the day-to-day life of an overwhelming 86% of Moroccans.
The report indicated that 51% of Moroccan respondents said that climate change and environmental problems, such as severe drought, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events, have negatively affected their income or source of livelihood.
In a bid to mitigate the negative impact of climate change, 78% of Moroccans said they encourage investment in renewable energy and green projects, stressing that it should become a priority for the country.
Meanwhile, 49% of Moroccans said that they or people they know have taken action to adapt to the impact of climate change, such as investing in water-saving technologies to mitigate the effects of drought.
The report surveyed a total of 6,000 respondents from 10 African countries, 1,000 of whom were Moroccan.
Read also: World Bank: Climate Disasters Cost Morocco More than $500 Million Annually
“Morocco is strongly committed to the fight against global warming, as one of the world’s first countries to submit its first nationally determined contribution,” said EIB.
Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Leila Benali emphasized that Morocco has been at the “forefront of the fight against climate change for more than 30 years.” She explained, “We have put sustainability at the heart of our development model and we have followed an inclusive approach.”
Benali indicated that Moroccans are facing the impact of climate change in their everyday life, as they are dealing with a wide range of environmental issues like recurring droughts.
Meanwhile, Vice-President of the EIB Ricardo Mourinho-Felix indicated that the bank is “collaborating closely with Moroccan partners following COP27 to accelerate climate action investment.”
