Morocco’s climate change impacts, adaptation and mitigation—a stocktake

There are calls for effective measures to address climate change challenges for socio-economic development. This is a critical review to take stock of the impacts of climate change, and some gains made by Morocco in adapting to and mitigating climate change. This also highlights the challenges and opportunities of addressing climate change. A review is undertaken for peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 1951 and early 2022, mainly focusing on the main climate-sensitive sectors: water, energy and agriculture. Literature shows that climate change threatens food security, especially among small-scale farmers in Morocco. Insurance schemes against drought and tree crops are meant to build the resilience of agriculture against climate extremes. The water sector has prioritized the desalination of seawater and the national water saving program to cope with water shortages. The country has enforced its national environmental and sustainable development policy to support its target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 45.5% by 2030. Massive investment in wind energy and decarbonization of the transport sector by promoting rail networks are outstanding initiatives in the energy sector. The country’s involvement in environmental diplomacy exemplifies its local, regional and international efforts in environmental conservation. However, there are still issues, such as mainstreaming gender and youth in development activities. Other developing nations can take up Morocco’s outstanding stories in concerted efforts to address climate change.