Africa should unite in fight against climate change: Moroccan king

Morocco's King Mohammed VI said here on Wednesday that Africa should unite in the fight against climate change.

"It is important that our continent speak with one voice, demand climate justice and mobilization of necessary resources, and submit concerted proposals in connection with the fight against climate change," he told the opening of "Africa Action Summit."

All types of vulnerabilities are concentrated in Africa, as there are already 10 million climate refugees in the continent, the king said at the gathering, which was held on the sidelines of the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22).

By 2020, nearly 60 million people will be displaced because of water scarcity, if no measures are taken, he warned.

"The immense freshwater reservoir of Lake Chad has already lost 94 percent of its surface area and is facing the risk of drying up once and for all," he said, recalling that 4 million hectares of forest, twice the global average, are lost each year in Africa.

African agriculture, which consists predominantly of subsistence farming, employs 60 percent of the African workforce, yet "our crops suffer from severe disruptions, and our food security is seriously jeopardized," he said.

The king stressed the importance of identifying measures and mechanisms needed to support the implementation of flagship programs, ensuring institutional capacity building in Africa, as well as seizing opportunities and studying the implications of low carbon development in the fields of energy, technological innovation and "green" jobs. Endit