“Record-breaking Heatwaves in Morocco and the Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Human Health”

2023-05-06 20:20:00

In Morocco, several April (local) records were broken across the country and temperatures exceeded 41°C in some cities such as Sidi-Slimane, Marrakech and Taroudant. These record temperatures came on top of a historic multi-year drought in these regions, which exacerbated the effects of the heat on agriculture, already threatened by increasing water scarcity resulting from the combined effect of climate change. climate and water use, points out World Weather Attribution. Spain and Portugal were not spared.

To read: Global warming can cause “irreversible damage” in Morocco

Each year, heat waves contributed to the death of 262, 250 and 116 people on average in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, respectively. They had suffered from heat-related illnesses. A review of all-cause mortality between 2005 and 2007 in Tunisia found that daily mortality increased by 2% for each degree Celsius above 31.5°C.

To read: Morocco improves its ranking in the climate change performance index

The three-day heat wave that occurred from April 26 to 28, 2023 in the most affected region was the subject of a study by scientists from Morocco, France, the Netherlands, the United States United States and United Kingdom. They assessed how much human-induced climate change has altered the likelihood and intensity of this early-season heat wave. It shows that heat waves are among the deadliest natural hazards, with thousands of people dying each year from heat-related causes.

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