Climate Change in Recent Years
Environment
Climate change in recent years has affected Morocco, in the past it was almost completely dependent on imported energy. Morocco has made huge efforts to reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels.
Thanks to its several projects Morocco is now seventh in the world in the 2016 Climate Change Performance Index and is the only non-European country in the top 20.
At the 2020 Climate Ambition Summit Boris Johnson, U.K. prime minister, said that the U.K. had a long way to go to match the efforts of Morocco in renewable energies.
Since 2012 Morocco has reduced spending on crude oil and oil products, coal, natural gas and electricity. It is now investing billions of dollars in developing its renewable energy sector. Annual electricity use age in Morocco is steadily increasing so this is important.
The major sources of alternative energy in Morocco are hydroelectric, solar and wind. Wind energy potential is excellent in vast parts of the northern and southern regions and with 3000 hours of sunshine every year solar power is a huge source of energy for the country.
Climate change Morocco Solar Program
Morocco has launched one of the world’s largest and most ambitious solar energy plans, the Moroccan Solar Plan is regarded as a milestone on the country’s path towards a secure and sustainable energy supply which is clean, green and affordable.
The aim of the plan is to generate 2,000 megawatts of solar power by the year 2020 by building 5 mega-scale solar power projects.
The Ouarzazate Solar Complex (Noor) was opened in 2016 and is now the largest solar thermal power plant in the world. It provides electricity for over 1 million people. It stands in 2500 hectares and cost an estimated 8 billion dollars.
Morocco Wind Program
Morocco has huge wind energy potential due to its 3,500 km coastline and average wind speeds between 6 and 11 m/s. Regions near the Atlantic coast, such as Essaouira, Tangier, Tetouan, Tarfaya, Laayoune, Dakhla,Taza all have excellent wind power potential.
Morocco has a strong pipeline of wind power projects and Africa’s largest windfarm, at Tarfaya in Southwestern Morocco became operational in 2014. The Tarfaya wind farm alone, built at a cost of around $700 million, has 131 turbines and will meet the power needs of several hundred thousand people. It will reduce CO2 emissions by 900,000 tonnes each year.
Hydroelectric
There are more than 140 dams in Morocco. More than half are privately owned and along with solar and wind energy they produce about 33% of the nations electricity. About 60 further dams are planned by 2030.
EnergiPro Initiative
Morocco’s national utility ONE is developing almost half of the planned renewable energy projects while the other half are supported by private investment through the “EnergiPro” initiative. This encourages industrial players to reduce their production costs by producing their own energy.
As part of this initiative, ONE guarantees access to the national grid, and the purchase of any excess electricity produced at an incentive tariff, with different tariffs for each project.
Morocco is the only African country to have a power cable link to Europe.
Issues
Morocco has seen a big impact from climate change in recent years. Rising temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns and more extreme weather events have affected crop yields, the availability of water and agricultural productivity. Climate change challenges Morocco’s ability to be self-sufficient and therefore economically stable as well as its rural way of life.
Morocco already suffers from drought and climate change is making this worse. Reduced rainfall and increased temperatures have resulted in more prevalent water scarcity affecting irrigation and water supply for crops.
Increased temperatures are having a negative effect on the type of crops cultivated as well as crop growth and development. Increased temperatures in certain areas can mean that particular crops will no longer grow there. Higher temperatures also create stress in plants which affects flowering and fruiting. Traditional crops may need to be replaced by those more resilient to increased temperatures.
Climate change can alter the type and quantity of pests as well as their presence in certain areas and their behavior. The spread of pests and diseases into new areas requires a change in pest management.
Solutions
Investment in water management is vital including irrigation techniques and infrastructure and the promotion of water saving methods and technologies among farmers.
Research plays a role in identifying new crops that are resistant to increases in temperature, drought or other climactic changes. It is also important to encourage diversity of crops to create resilience in the future
Conservation agriculture, agroforestry and organic farming improve soil health, water retention and overall resilience and are important tools that can be used.
Access to modern agricultural technologies help farmers to be more adaptable. Always searching for new initiatives focused on crop resilience and early warning methods for extreme weather events are essential.
Training and education for farmers to understand and adapt to climate change and smart agricultural practices are crucial.
Government policies that promote renewable energy and support the development of climate resilient infrastructure are vital as well as providing incentives for farmers who use climate smart methods. The use of these policies must support and incentivize sustainable and climate resilient practices and are essential.
In conclusion and in the face of the impacts of climate change in Morocco a comprehensive and multi disciplined approach are essential. The resilience of agriculture, food security and economic stability can all be improved by combining technology, sustainability and government policy.
