Rabat – Environmental experts from different organizations concerned with climate change gathered at Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University’s (UM6P) Faculty of Governance, Economics and Social Sciences to discuss methods to tackle the climate crisis.

As part of the first Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) held in Morocco, the experts spoke at a panel under the title “Individuals, community, and government actions in tackling climate change and achieving sustainable development.”

Despite the different approaches discussed at the event, everyone speaking at the conference agreed on one thing: climate change is no longer a scenario for the future, it’s a crisis we are currently in the midst of.

Past the point of no return

A recurring theme throughout the conference was that the world no longer has the luxury to treat climate change as a future threat for which to prepare, or as a faraway hypothetical.

Indeed, just this year, Morocco has experienced its worst drought in decades, affecting crop growth and agricultural output. The country also saw record breaking temperatures and wildfires during the summer.

For Abdellatif Khattabi, professor and researcher with the National Forestry School of Engineers, consumption is the biggest issue. According to him, humans are consuming as if they have the resources of six planets at their disposal.

Climate change also comes with its cascading domino effects, the experts asserted. Forests, health, and agriculture are all set to be impacted, leading to a general decrease in the quality of life of citizens.

Kamal Akaya, president of the AFCD Foundation, reiterated this, saying that for most issues happening in the world right now, you could find climate change is playing a role in it.

The situation worsens when one considers that Morocco, alongside many African countries and most other countries in “the global south,” bear the brunt of the effects of climate change, while contributing very little to it.

Meanwhile, developed western countries often continue their industrialization while paying little attention to the effects that might have on the global climate and the repercussions on other countries.

Abdelhadi Bennis from the Ribat Al Fath Association for Sustainable Development supported this statement. He highlighted how the enormous disparity of the effects of climate change between affluent and poorer sections of domestic societies also reflects itself globally.

Institutional change

In the face of this growing emergency, institutional and governmental action will be key to tackling the issue.

Kamal Akaya mentions that while there are several programs and policies in progress, there is something crucial missing in their application, that is undermining the realization of its intended purpose.

On a governmental level, especially in local politics, Akaya highlights that many leaders simply do not have climate change or environmentalism as one of their priorities.

For him, this mostly stems from a misunderstanding of what climate change is. If you ask decision makers what their priority is, he says, they list many issues that are in fact related to climate change.

While Morocco has made notable efforts and emerged as a regional leader in the field, it needs to raise awareness among the general public, Khattabi argued.

Among the ways in which this can be achieved, he says, is the implementation of formal educational programs focusing on climate change and the environment.

If Morocco hopes to take advantage of its growing renewable energy capacities and become a global leader, it would need to strengthen education on the subject in schools and universities, and also integrate the general public in the problem-solving mechanisms against climate change, he says.

The challenge for Morocco remains tougher than the one facing the US or Europe, for instance. The country has to essentially develop in a green way and leapfrog the classical industrialisation route.

Individual action

Beyond government action however, the experts equally stressed the importance of individuals in a larger system. And following on the conference’s theme of youth, that demographic crops up as the center of future solutions.

“You need to push those in your community, push in your society,” Hiba Rizk, Director of Operations at Africa Climate Solutions said. For her, young people who work in the private sector should put in effort to attract green investments and relevant international organizations to Morocco.

She also stresses the importance of working with good companies and organizations that have a good green record, urging young people to explore their options carefully.

“Understand that companies need you as much as you need them,” she adds.

Abdelhadi Bennis, for his own part, applauded today’s youth, citing high rates of engagement with the climate crisis, and expressing high hopes that they can implement feasible action.

He highlights, however, that many of today’s youth are also feeling lost amid this crisis, impeded by the institutional obstacles and difficulties. “Forget all the difficulties and be convinced,” he said, urging young people to contribute however they can, even by publishing short articles on social media.

Kamal Akaya, on the other hand, highlighted the need for collective action, urging young people to take action together. “When you start, you can start alone, but as you go on, you need to integrate more people,” the AFCD President said.