21 June 2021 – by Atoosa Gitiforoz
On Tuesday 18th May, 2021, 6,000 migrants from Morocco swam and walked across the border to Spain. Video evidence showed Moroccan soldiers allowing migrants through security gates, sparking tensions between the two countries. The European Union stands in defence of Spain, condemning the mass incursion as a breach of borders. This comes following policy disputes over Western Sahara, which Spain maintains must be resolved via a United Nations agreement.
Migrants fled Morocco seeking economic opportunity, in pursuit of education or to flee poverty and human rights abuses. Unemployment in Morocco has been rising in recent years, with a significant rise of 2% as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Urban areas have been hit harder by unemployment compared to rural areas, although sectors across both have been affected. Whilst socio-economic crises and the pandemic are major causes of unemployment in Morocco, growing rural-urban migration – largely due to climate change, is also a factor.
Rising temperatures makes agricultural productivity more difficult. The High Commission for Planning (HCP) predicts that by 2050 only 15% of Morocco’s population will live in non-urban areas; this compares to 40% in 2018. With rural populations shrinking, (both water scarcity and floods causing a decline in agricultural production and an increase in poverty) a growing urban population needs employment.
Unemployment is particularly high amongst the youth in Morocco (1,500 of the 6000 migrants last Tuesday were teenagers). Green job initiatives is one channel to reduce unemployment whilst implementing climate adaptation measures; Morocco’s recent shifts to renewable energy is to help boost labour employment according to the Forum Euro Mediterraneen des Instituts de Sciences Economiques.Â
Morocco has taken numerous commitments to combat climate change via adaptation initiatives such as the Green Generation 2020-2030 plan – to support the agricultural sector through water irrigation and reducing dependence on rain-fed farming. Water irrigation projects are expected to save 2.4bn metres of water by 2030. On-going protection of rural areas is vital for agricultural livelihoods that make up 34% of employment. The links between climate change, rural-urban domestic migration, unemployment and cross-border migration requires further investigation; such as the percentage of rural verses urban migrants leaving their home country, Morocco.
