Climate Change In Morocco

From both human contributions and natural sources, our planet is constantly changing. New scientific discoveries with the potential to save lives are occurring, new technology is making it increasingly common to have communications with people and groups across previously uncrossable boundaries, and humans are constantly breaking records and norms to challenge what we believe is possible. The world is not an inherently bad place, but we have our problems. While we are accomplishing all of these amazing feats, we are also polluting our air and allowing greenhouse gases to accumulate in our atmosphere. Sources of life sustaining water are being contaminated, and forests are quickly shrinking as deserts and cities grow. With all of the advances …show more content…
From region to region and country to country, policies on climate change differ. One of the most active countries on this issue is Morocco, which I will address in this paper.
Many of us do not know much about the country of Morocco, which makes sense given that it is across the globe from us. If all you have to go off of is a simple google search, you will see a quick overview, a little bit of news, and several tourism websites. Looking at the images, you will get a glimpse of beautiful and vibrant marketplaces, intricately designed buildings, and idealized desert landscapes. Nowhere on the first page of results is climate change mentioned, but it is one of the most pressing issues facing this region and the world alike. To understand why climate change is a central issue to the country of Morocco, it is important to know a little more about it. Formally known as the Kingdom of Morocco, this country is located in North Africa between Algeria and Western Sahara. It is the only African country with coasts on both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and it also has a locational advantage with access to the Strait of Gibraltar. The climate of this area reflects …show more content…
The people of Morocco are almost entirely Arab-Berber, with only 1% fitting into other categories. This is reflected in the official languages of Arabic and Tamazight, although a few other Berber languages are common and French is often used in business and government. Islam is the official religion and 99% of the people claim to be Muslim, with a majority Sunni and less than .1% Shia. Only 1% of the population claims to be of another religion, including a small Jewish population, some Christian, and some Baha’i. Just above 60% of Moroccans live in urbanized areas, and there is a 2.26% annual rate of urbanization. A portion of this comes from the five major cities: Casablanca, Rabat, which is the capital, Fes, Marrakech, and Tangier. All of these areas are under a parliamentary constitutional