IRES Intelligence Platform (IIP)

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IRES Intelligence Platform (IIP)

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ANNUAL SURVEY PAPER

Can a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas ?
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2023

Nature-centric : the pursuit of a different relationship with the living world, a more environmentally-friendly economy, and a less consumer-oriented lifestyle; the realization that we now need to protect nature and all living things

Table of content

BIORESISTANCE

Bioresistance*DéfinitionThe ability of a living organism to rebuild its natural immune defenses after antibiotic treatment. This notion can be broadened to other types of treatment, not necessarily for humans (antivirals, pesticides, insecticides, …). encompasses the resistance of specific harmful bacteria, viruses and pests to antibiotics, pesticides, antiviral treatments, and genetically modified organisms.

While not new, this phenomenon has become increasingly alarming over the years. First, because the proportion of resistant organisms is on the rise, and this resistance stems from an increasingly swift natural selection process: there is no turning back. Second, because it reduces human’s ability to act on nature. The WHO identifies antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest threats to global health, food security, and development1.

Morocco is concerned enough by this emergence2 that an Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Plan (24-09-2019) was set up as part of Health Plan 20253. Still, engaging all partners, including the private sector, to establish specific regulatory frameworks and take practical action on bioresistance, remains a decisive milestone.

BIODIVERSITY DEGRADATION

Biodiversity degradation *DéfinitionThe diversity of life present on planet Earth, in all its manifestations. It encompasses not only the number of species, but also genetic variations within each species and dynamic interactions between these life forms within complex ecosystems. has to do with the decline or loss of biological variability within an ecosystem, including fewer species, smaller populations, and reduced genetic diversity, often due to anthropogenic factors such as land-use conversion, pollution, overexploitation of plants and animals, and climate change.

The 2019 Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services highlighted that biodiversity degradation is accelerating at a rate unprecedented in human history (one million species face extinction). The “Living Planet 2022” global index shows an average  decrease of 69%4 in the population of wild species observed between 1970 and 2018.

Morocco’s biodiversity is the richest in the Mediterranean, after that of the Anatolian region (Turkey), with an overall endemism rate of 11% for fauna and 25% for vascular plants. Morocco is the world’s 12th largest exporter of medicinal and aromatic plants, with 52,000 metric tons of plants and 5,000 metric tons of essential oils (1.2 billion Moroccan dirhams)5.

Particularly vulnerable to deforestation, pollution, overexploitation of resources, and climate change, the Kingdom has adopted measures to preserve, restore, and manage ecosystems, such as the 2016-2020 National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan6. INonetheless, Morocco now needs to step up implementation of these measures if it is to outpace biodiversity degradation.

RISING SEA LEVELS

Gradually rising sea levels are driven by seawater heat expansion and ground ice melt, and significantly impact coastal areas (erosion, flooding, disruption of coastal ecosystems, and human displacement).

The effects of rising sea levels, a threat to over one billion people by 2050, are set to escalate, and the prevalence of extreme events is set to grow7. according to the IPCC 2022. Low-lying, unprotected coastal areas face the greatest risk. 

Morocco is directly exposed to rising sea levels*DéfinitionThis gradual rise in average sea levels, primarily attributable to seawater thermal expansion and land ice thaws, has a significant impact on coastal areas (erosion, flooding, disruption of coastal ecosystems, and displacement of human communities).. owing to the shallow topography, urban concentration, and ecological, economic, and touristic value of its coasts. It is therefore essential to develop the means to monitor these zones and anticipate future impacts (population relocation, coastal protection systems, …).

FOOD WASTE

FAO defines food waste*DéfinitionThe concept refers to a deterioration in the quantity or quality of food as a result of decisions and actions taken by retailers, food service providers, or consumers. as a deterioration in the quantity or quality of food as a consequence of the decisions and actions of retailers, food service providers, and consumers8.

Roughly one-third of all food produced for human consumption worldwide is wasted each year, amounting to $400 billion. That is around 1.3 billion tons of food, when 690 million people suffered from undernourishment in 2019 (FAO) and 3.1 million children under the age of 5 die each year from malnutrition (NGO Save the Children, 2018), and both figures rising since Covid-19.

The indirect effects of uneaten food are not insignificant: its production draws on scarce resources (water, soil, energy) and its decomposition generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Every year, the average Moroccan discards 91 kilograms of food9 : Food waste occurring in the final stages of the supply chain10. Better packaging solutions should help cut food loss and waste, by extending shelf life and protecting from contamination…

SOIL FERTILITY LOSS

“Soil fertility loss*”DéfinitionA soil’s aptitude to provide a favorable environment for plant growth and productivity and ecosystem services over time, by supplying the nutrients, water, oxygen, and physico-chemical conditions needed to support crop growth. refers to a soil’s diminished capacity to support plant growth, usually as the result of erosion, intensive use, or unsustainable farming practices. This often includes depletion of essential nutrients, loss of organic matter, degradation of soil structure, and depletion of soil biodiversity. This results in soils that are poor in nutrients and living organisms, with reduced porosity (and therefore susceptible to leaching).

At current rates of fertile land use, 90% of the planet’s arable land will be degraded by 205011.

The share of arable land in Morocco’s total land area has fallen from 20.4% in 1994 to 17.1% in 202012. Deforestation is the primary factor of land degradation13, also contributing to higher drought intensity, forest fires, and soil erosion.

TOWARDS PLANETARY BOUNDARIES

The nine planetary boundaries*DéfinitionThese nine limits outline the safe development space for humanity with respect to the Earth system, and are associated with the planet’s sub-systems or biophysical processes. (ROCKSTRÖM, 2009) set critical thresholds not to be breached to preserve an environment able to sustain human life on the planet. They encompass climate change, biodiversity erosion, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, ocean acidification, global freshwater use, land-use change, chemical pollution, atmospheric aerosol, and ozone depletion. Staying within these boundaries is crucial to a sustainable future.

And yet since the early 21st century, we approach them at an accelerating pace, notable in terms of soil degradation CO2, nitrogen and phosphorus emissions, biodiversity depletion, and freshwater overutilization*. Improvements have been made in reducing emissions of toxic pollutants (aerosols) and ozone-depleting substances (chlorofluorocarbons), but these are insufficient, fragmented, and localized.

Morocco already faces daunting challenges with regard to climate change, dwindling water resources, deforestation, land degradation, and biodiversity loss. Signatory to the Paris Agreement, the Kingdom deploys considerable resources to the energy transition, water capital management, and environmental education, all of which should be stepped up and accelerated.

Références

  1. World Health Organization. "Principaux repères : la résistance aux antibiotiques". Site web de l’Organisation Mondiale de la santé. 2020. Dernière consultation : le 25-07-2023.
  2. B. Houssni, H. Berkhli, H. Madani, A. Azzouzi. " Résistances bactériennes, consommation d'antibiotiques et politique de gestion de l'antibiothérapie", revue l'officinal N-88. 2011.
  3. Ministry of Health and Social Protection.  National Coordination Unit and the Technical Committee for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance, Ministry official website. 2019. Last consulted: 25-07-2023.
  4. Le Fonds Mondial pour la Nature WWF. "Rapport Planète Vivante 2022 - Pour un bilan « nature » positif". 2022. p.4.
  5. Agence Nationale des Plantes Médicinales et Aromatiques. Vision stratégique de l’ANPMA (2018-2022), site web officiel de l’Agence. Dernière consultation : le 25-07-2023.
  6. Ministry attached to the Minister of Energy, Mines, Water and the Environment, in charge of the Environment. Morocco's National Strategy and Action Plan for Biological Diversity (2016-2020). 2020
  7. IPCC. "IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate" [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, V. Masson-Delmotte, P. Zhai, M. Tignor, E. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Nicolai, A. Okem, J. Petzold, B. Rama, N.M. Weyer (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA: 2019. 755 pp.
  8. FAO. "The State of Food and Agriculture: Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction". Rome: 2019. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
  9. FAO. "The State of Food and Agriculture: Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction". Rome: 2019. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
  10. United Nations Environment Program. "Food Waste Index Report 2021". Nairobi.
  11. United Nations. “FAO warms 90 per cent of Earth’s topsoil at risk by 2050”. UN News. July 2022. Last consulted: 25-07-2023.
  12. United Nations. “FAO warms 90 per cent of Earth’s topsoil at risk by 2050”. UN News. July 2022. Dernière consultation : le 25-07-2023.
  13. FAO. "The state of the world’s land and water resources for food and agriculture – Systems at breaking point. Synthesis report". Rome : 2021. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb7654en.