Morocco faces mounting ecological pressure amid recurrent droughts
Morocco is facing growing ecological stress due to increasingly frequent droughts, according to the latest Global Ecological Threat Report published by the Australian think tank Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP). The report places Morocco among the North African countries that have experienced the sharpest environmental deterioration over the past five years.
Between 2019 and 2024, Morocco — alongside Tunisia and Algeria — recorded a significant decline in its Ecological Threat Index (ETR), largely driven by persistent droughts and rising temperatures. “Northwest Africa has seen the steepest decline in ETR scores, led by Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria,” the report highlights.
The study notes that Morocco’s rainfall patterns have become increasingly erratic, with shorter rainy periods and prolonged dry spells. These shifts are disrupting agricultural cycles and threatening food security, especially in rural areas dependent on rainfall. The report also draws a connection between worsening climate pressures and rising social tensions in vulnerable regions, a trend also observed in parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
The country’s water crisis reflects a broader global inequality in access and management. While high-income nations have reduced per capita water consumption through efficiency technologies, middle-income countries like Morocco are facing surging demand fueled by population growth and agricultural expansion. The IEP report stresses that in many regions, water scarcity stems not only from a lack of resources but from “failures in capture and distribution systems.”
In response, Morocco has accelerated the construction of dams and hydraulic interconnections, yet the increasing intensity of droughts could undermine these measures without long-term integrated management. The report urges governments to invest in climate-resilient water systems, emphasizing that water cooperation must become a cornerstone of regional stability.
The 2025 Ecological Threat Report analyzes 3,125 subnational regions across 172 countries, representing over 99% of the global population. Its findings are alarming: nearly two billion people now live in areas where seasonal extremes are intensifying. For Morocco, these ecological signals reinforce an urgent reality — the fight against the water crisis will be central to its economic and social stability in the coming decade.
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