Morocco on the frontlines of climate extremes, experts warn

Morocco has emerged as one of North Africa’s most climate-vulnerable countries, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s 2024 “State of the Climate in Africa” report. 

The kingdom faces escalating threats, including prolonged droughts, rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and flash floods that have caused heavy human and material losses.

Environmental expert Mostapha Aissat described recent climate events in Morocco as “unprecedented in the country’s history,” citing seven consecutive years of drought and destructive floods across the south and southeast, he told Hespress EN.

He also recalled the 2022 wildfires that devoured over 20,000 hectares of forest, severely impacting biodiversity and agriculture.

Aissat warned that two global indicators suggest worsening conditions: global warming and the continued failure of major polluting nations to halve CO₂ emissions by 2030, as outlined in the Paris Agreement. 

He also noted the rising risk of natural disasters beyond climate change, such as earthquakes,  referencing Morocco’s 2023 Al Haouz quake.

He praised Morocco’s strategic move to create regional stockpile platforms as a “preventive and effective” response to recurring disasters. “Recovery from one catastrophe often begins under the shadow of the next,” he said.

Climate expert Ali Cherroud added that Morocco’s geography,  from mountains to coasts to deserts, makes it uniquely exposed to a wide spectrum of seasonal and non-seasonal disasters. The country’s position at the intersection of cold, humid northern currents and hot, dry southern flows intensifies its susceptibility to extremes.

Cherroud welcomed the newly announced National Natural Disaster Center in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, calling it a “proactive shift” in disaster management and urging its replication across Morocco.

 He emphasized the need for a national roadmap based on early warning, rapid response, and risk forecasting to shield lives and assets.

With converging international assessments and on-the-ground observations, experts say climate preparedness is no longer optional — it is Morocco’s new strategic imperative.