Morocco

In 2001 Morocco hosted COP 7 and in the same year, a National Committee for Climate Change was set up. The National Committee is chaired by the Department for the Environment, the national focal point for the UNFCCC, and includes nominated contacts from other ministries. The National Committee’s main role has been to draft national communications to the UNFCCC. Morocco’s first and second national communications were submitted in 2001 and 2010 respectively. The government is preparing its third national communication, which will be presented at the UNFCCC conference in Paris in 2015.

Following the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, and with the support of a UNEP/UNDP programme, Morocco established the institutional set-up for the CDM (2003–2005). The country is among the most in North Africa in CDMs. A portfolio of 40 projects and programmes has been developed, of which eight projects are registered at the CDM Executive Board with a potential reduction of GHG emissions estimated at 5.4m tons of CO2 equivalent per year.

A National Plan of Action against Climate Change (PNRC) was presented in 2009, at COP15, in Copenhagen. The PNRC focuses on developing renewable sources of electricity generation, particularly solar, and on investing in energy efficiency. The plan comprises a portfolio of governmental actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change, but with more of a focus on the latter. A range of sectoral strategies, including the “Plan Maroc Vert” for agriculture, complement the Climate Change Plan. The Plan is currently going through a process of updating.

On a broader scope, the adoption of the National Charter for Environment and Sustainable Development allowed Morocco to redouble its efforts to protect the environment and sustainable development. The Charter was formally adopted in 2012 and a Framework Law was enacted in 2014 to help its operationalisation. Framework Law 99-12 explicitly mentions the fight against climate change and calls for strengthening capacities to promote adaptation to climate change.

However, there is currently no formal climate change mitigation structure in place at either national or regional level. To address this issue, the German development agency GIZ is currently helping to set up a climate competence centre. The project, to be implemented between 2013 and 2016, aims to define the roles and tasks of the climate competence centre at regional and national level through consultation with the relevant partners. This work includes: establishing a climate database; developing vulnerability indicators; identifying, processing and disseminating data and tools that can be used in training in the climate field (climate proofing, NAMAs); designing an information system to facilitate the development of GHG inventories; creating and regularly updating a website for the centre. A Climate Change Policy (PCCM), which is currently being developed, is intended as a flexible and dynamic instrument combined with a monitoring and evaluation tool that will allow for necessary refinements over time.

Carbon pricing

In 2012 Morocco obtained USD350,000 under the World Bank Partnership for Market Readiness (PMR) to launch its pilot carbon market. The project includes a plan to establish a domestic Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) and programmes aimed at issuing carbon credits based on NAMAs. The government identified three main areas of action: electricity generation, cement production and phosphate extraction. The government started the PMR preparation phase in 2013, and intends to establish a pilot carbon market instrument based on NAMAs by 2016. A domestic carbon market would start operating in 2018, and by 2020 the market would be linked with international carbon markets.

Morocco joined the Low-Emission Capacity Building Project to develop a Low-Emission Strategy as well as a NAMA project portfolio along with MRV systems and an associated knowledge base.

Energy supply

Morocco is the only North African country with no natural oil resources, and is the largest energy importer in the region, with 96% of its energy needs being sourced externally. Power generation is primarily fuelled by fossil energy sources, mainly oil (70%) but also coal and natural gas, all imported.

Morocco has ambitious plans for the renewable energy sector. The National Energy Strategy and the related National Priority Action Plan (PNAP), both launched in 2008, set a target to meet 10–12% of the country’s primary energy demand by 2020 and 15–20% by 2030 from renewable energy. These targets were incorporated into the National Plan of Action against Climate Change. Morocco also expects solar, wind and hydro power to account for 42% (equivalent to about 6,000MW) of its total energy mix by 2020.

In order to achieve these targets, it is promoting policy and regulatory reform. In 2010, the Moroccan Agency for Development of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ADEREE), and the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) were established. These agencies work in partnership with other institutions, such as the Research Institute on Renewable Energy (IRESEN), created in 2009, which aims to link the private sector and research institutions, and the Energy Development and Energy Investment Company (SIE), founded in 2010, which aims to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.

REDD+ and LULUCF

The National Climate Change Plan establishes that the Ministry for Agriculture and Marine Fisheries and the High Commission for Water and Forests should promote the reduction of GHG emissions from agriculture and deforestation. The measures include improving the efficiency of agricultural land, promoting the recovery of methane from manure, and promoting sustainable farming through a certification scheme. There are also plans to implement a reforestation plan, establish green taxes for reforestation, and implement a fire-fighting plan. Further strategies for agriculture are expected to follow in the Energy Strategy.

Transportation

The National Climate Change Plan establishes mitigation measures in the transportation sector. These include measures to change the transportation mix and fuels used. Since 2009 the Ministry of Energy and Mines requires the use of Gasoil 50ppm and unleaded petrol.

Adaptation

The National Plan against Climate Change identifies a number of adaptation priorities in agriculture, coastal areas and water scarcity. These measures rely on elements of the 2007 Morocco Green Plan for agriculture, and of the 2009 National Water Strategy.

For agriculture, measures include developing the adaptive capacity of rural populations; developing a national forecast system for agricultural production; creating resistant varieties of wheat; improving the productivity and durability of farming systems through planting techniques; changing agricultural practices; optimising irrigation; improving tenure of agricultural land; incentives and subsidies for training farmers in sustainable farming; and establishing water pricing based on consumption.

For coastal areas, legislation will enable the implementation of integrated management of coastal zones and their adaptation to rising sea level by building dykes or other protective structures.

Measures to tackle water scarcity include education and public awareness about water conservation; installation of individual meters; revising tariff systems; investing in water saving and water recycling measures; and investing in new dams and drilling of deep wells.

In addition, between 2009 and 2012 the government took part in the Adaptation to Climatic Change in Morocco for Resilient Oasis (PACC/Oasis) project. PACC/Oasis, part of the “Programme Africaine d’Adaptation au Changement Climatique”, includes 20 different African countries, and involves the UNDP, the government of Japan, the National Commission on Water, Forests and Fight Against Desertification, as well as a range of other ministries, provinces and agencies. The project aimed to manage and reduce the risks of climate change to the economy by introducing adaptation approaches and by strengthening local capacities. As a result of this project, reports were produced covering: climatic scenarios for the oasis zones for 2021-2050, a vulnerability assessment, evaluation of possible risks (flooding, drought, fire and locusts), establishment of automatic climate stations, establishment of pilot sites, and a communication strategy.