Climate change in Morocco: are we truly aware of its impact?
Author
Oussama BOUOUAROUR
When we hear «climate change», we often think of something distant.
The melting of glaciers.
Sea level rise.
Images of natural disasters on the other side of the world.
Or even targets set for 2030 or 2050.
Yet, in Morocco, climate change is no longer just a question of the future.
It may be much closer to us than we imagine.
He is hiding during a difficult agricultural season.
In consecutive years of drought.
Amid increasing pressure on water resources.
In the income of a family that depends on agriculture.
And sometimes, in changes that we have so integrated into our daily lives that we no longer even associate them with the climate.
So one question deserves to be asked:
Are Moroccans truly aware of climate change... or are we mostly experiencing its consequences without always making the connection?
Sometimes we feel the change before we know how to name it
An Afrobarometer survey published in January 2026 provides a rather interesting answer.
Approximately 67 % of Moroccans surveyed state that they have heard of climate change. Among those who know him, 76 % believe that he is already making life in Morocco more difficult.
This also means that about a third of the surveyed population was not yet familiar with the concept under this name.
And yet...
In the same survey, 86 % of Moroccans state that droughts have become more severe in their region over the past ten years, while 65 % note a worsening of poor harvests.
This contrast is probably one of the most interesting things to remember.
We can experiencing the effects of climate change without necessarily identifying them as such.
A farmer does not need to know the scientific definition of global warming to see that rainfall has become more unpredictable.
A family does not need to read an IPCC report to notice that the issue of water is taking on an increasingly important place.
Therefore, awareness-raising may not always start with explaining what climate change is.
She sometimes starts by connecting the dots.
And yet, many Moroccans already know that something is changing
Another survey conducted by the European Investment Bank in 2022 had yielded an even more striking result: 86 % of Moroccan respondents felt that climate change was already affecting their daily lives. More than half, 51 %, also stated that climate change or environmental degradation had affected their income or livelihoods.
These figures should not be compared directly to those of Afrobarometer — the surveys use neither the exact same questions nor the same methodology.
But together, they tell something important:
Climate change is no longer perceived solely as an environmental problem. It is beginning to be experienced as an economic and social problem.
And that is probably where the way we talk about it needs to evolve.
Climate change is not just about the weather
This is perhaps one of the most common misunderstandings.
An exceptionally hot day is not, in itself, proof of climate change.
A rainy year does not mean it has disappeared either.
Climate refers to trends observed over long periods.
But these trends end up influencing very concrete things.
In Morocco, the World Bank specifically identifies water scarcity and droughts, flood risks and the decarbonization of the economy as three major climate challenges for the country's development.
And among them, water occupies a particularly sensitive place.
Water is probably where the change becomes the most visible
Morocco is already in a situation of structural water stress.
Water availability is around 620 m³ per capita per year and could drop below the 500 m³ by 2030, a threshold corresponding to a severe shortage situation, driven by the combined effects of demand growth, demographics, and climate change.
This figure seems abstract.
But its consequences are not.
Less available water means more pressure on:
- agriculture ;
- the provisioning of cities; ;
- the water tables ;
- ecosystems ;
- certain industrial activities; ;
- and, eventually, our consumer choices.
Morocco is also investing heavily in dams, desalination, and other infrastructure to secure its water supply in the face of successive years of drought.
But infrastructure cannot be the only answer.
How we use water matters too.
Agriculture reminds us that the climate always ends up on our plates
Moroccan agriculture remains particularly vulnerable to rainfall and droughts. The World Bank regularly highlights how fluctuations in rainfall can affect agricultural activity and, by extension, the country’s economy and rural populations.
And it is here that an often invisible chain appears.
A change in precipitation can affect a crop.
A smaller harvest can reduce a farmer's income.
It can also modify the supply available on the market.
And suddenly, a phenomenon we thought was confined to international climate conferences has made its way into our local economy and our daily lives.
That is also why it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the effects of climate change from other economic factors.
Prices, for example, also depend on energy, transport, imports, international markets, and many other factors.
Climate does not explain everything.
But he is gradually becoming an additional factor that influences everything else.
And that distinction is important.
We are not all affected in the same way
This is another dimension that is perhaps still talked about too little.
A drought does not mean the same thing to everyone.
For someone living in the city, it may seem to be a matter of water management.
For a farmer whose income depends directly on a crop, it can become a matter of economic survival.
For a municipality, this involves managing limited infrastructure and resources.
For a company, it can pose an operational risk.
For an ecosystem, it can profoundly alter the living conditions of many species.
That is precisely why the World Bank emphasizes the need to integrate equity and resilience in Morocco's climate response, and not just emission reduction.
Climate change is global.
Its consequences, however, are profoundly local.
Being aware does not necessarily mean acting
This is probably the second big question.
We may know that climate change exists.
We may even feel its consequences.
And still change nothing.
In the EIB survey, fewer than half of the Moroccans surveyed - 49 % - said that they or people close to them had already taken steps to adapt to the effects of climate change. Examples included water-saving technologies and measures to prepare more effectively for flooding.
This is where the gap between three very different things becomes clear:
Knowing.
Understanding.
Taking action.
And moving from one to the next does not happen automatically.
Telling someone that climate change is dangerous does not necessarily show them what they can do about it.
Showing a graph of global temperatures does not necessarily explain how it relates to their work, neighbourhood or organisation.
That is why environmental awareness cannot be limited to sharing information.
It also needs to connect a global issue to local reality le problème global et la réalité locale.
Perhaps we have spent too long presenting climate change as a distant catastrophe
There is something quite paradoxical about environmental communication.
To show that the problem is serious, we often use the most dramatic images:
melting glaciers,
polar bears,
huge wildfires,
rising oceans.
These images are powerful.
But they can also make the issue feel strangely distant.
In Morocco, however, talking about climate change can also mean talking about:
water.
agriculture.
cities.
energy.
biodiversity.
jobs.
economic resilience.
And suddenly, it is no longer an abstract conversation about “saving the planet”.
It becomes a conversation about how we want to live in our own country tomorrow la façon dont nous souhaitons vivre demain dans notre propre pays.
Raising awareness should not be about creating fear
This may be where we can improve the way we communicate about climate change.
Fear grabs attention.
But it does not always lead to action.
When a problem is presented as vast, global and almost impossible to solve, the reaction can easily become:
“What can I possibly do about it?”
Effective awareness-raising should do exactly the opposite.
It should help people understand:
what is changing,
why it matters to them,
and above all,
where they can take action.
For a student, that may begin with understanding the issues.
For a business, it may mean measuring its impacts and rethinking certain practices.
For a local authority, it may mean preparing its area for future risks.
For an organisation, it may mean mobilising a community.
And for each of us, it may mean developing a more conscious relationship with the resources we use every day.
So, are Moroccans sufficiently aware of climate change?
Probably more than we think.
And perhaps less than we need to be.
Surveys show that a large part of the population already recognises the consequences of climate change, particularly drought and agricultural challenges. They also show that most people who are aware of the issue believe it is making life in the country more difficult.
But knowing the term «climate change» is just the beginning.
The real challenge now is to understand how it connects to everyday life, and how everyone—citizens, businesses, associations, educational institutions and local authorities can help build responses that are relevant to their reality.
Because awareness is not the destination.
It is the starting point.