Changes in the climate alter the way Moroccan nomads live.

Rabat - Many Moroccan nomads have decided to give up their way of life to survive droughts.

Recently, the situation of Moroccan nomads made headlines around the world.

Moha Ouchaali, a nomadic Amazigh from Morocco, spoke about his experience in an interview. 

Moroccan nomads have to constantly adjust their routes to survive as climate change makes it harder for them to find water for their livestock every day. Some of the younger generations have chosen to settle in urban areas.

Ida, Ouchaali's wife, told AFP, "Before, we managed to live decently, but all these droughts, which are getting stronger and stronger, make our lives complicated."Ida acknowledged that water scarcity made their lives difficult as they lived in a tent near the village of Amellagou, approximately 280 kilometers from Marrakech.

"We can't do anything if we don't have water."

Due to Morocco's worst drought in three decades this year, some nomads had to borrow money to feed their livestock.

Another nomad, Ahmed Assni, stated, "I've gone into debt to buy food for my animals so they don't starve to death."

According to Ouchaali, the Ait Aissa Izem nomadic people used to spend the summer in the cool mountain valley in Imchil before traveling to Errachidia for the winter. However, the changing climate has rendered their previous plans "ancient history."

The number of nomadic Moroccans has decreased over the past few decades, reaching 25,000 in 2014. Nomads' customs and way of life are being eradicated as a result of climate change.

Climate migration is predicted to affect between 50 million and 300 million people worldwide, with the Moroccan nomads struggling to support their livestock while maintaining their lifestyles.

The predictions were further supported by a 2018 World Bank report titled "Groundswell - Preparing for Internal Climate Migration," which called for immediate national and global climate action in South Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Due to a decrease in crop productivity, a lack of water, and rising sea levels, experts anticipate that more than 140 million people will migrate to the three regions by 2050.

Climate migration is likely to become the new norm as more communities are affected by severe droughts, rising temperatures, storms, floods, and hurricanes. In the past, internal migration was frequently associated with a job search or war and conflict.