Morocco Again Ranks in Top 10 of 2016 Climate Change Performance Index

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - December 10, 2015) - The 2016 Climate Performance Index ranked Morocco among the top ten countries making the most progress in addressing climate change and number one among "newly industrialized countries," citing the country as one that shows "the potential of developing countries to move forward." Issued by Climate Action Network Europe and German Watch -- an independent development and environmental organization dedicated to sustainable global development -- the report annually evaluates and compares the "climate-protection performance of 58 countries that together are responsible for more than 90% of global energy-related CO2 emissions."

The index was released to coincide with the 21^st Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris, where Morocco's King Mohammed VI exhorted world leaders to take bold action on climate change goals while giving "special attention" to Africa's sustainable development needs.

"The climate change predicament is the ultimate injustice suffered by the most vulnerable," he said. "The consequences of climate change are affecting developing nations as much as -- if not more than -- developed countries, especially the least advanced African and Latin American States and small island States."

Offering Morocco as an example to others, the King announced that Morocco's ambitious "objective of securing 42% of the country's energy mix from renewable sources by 2020 has recently been increased to 52% by 2030."

Morocco, which is scheduled to host the next COP conference in Marrakesh, is frequently lauded as a leader in renewable energy and climate change policy. Recently, The World Bank stated that "Morocco is poised to make history" with its Ouarzazate Solar Power Complex which, when operational, will be the world's largest concentrated solar power plant.

"In the King's own words, Morocco has pursued a 'proactive policy on sustainable development and environmental protection' -- from water usage to waste management, to wind and solar power and beyond," said former US Ambassador to Morocco Edward M. Gabriel. "The results of the Climate Performance Index show that this hard work is paying off. It's yet another way that Morocco is proving to be a leader in the region, taking on some of today's greatest challenges."

The Moroccan American Center for Policy (MACP) is a non-profit organization whose principal mission is to inform opinion makers, government officials, and interested publics in the United States about political and social developments in Morocco and the role being played by the Kingdom of Morocco in broader strategic developments in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.

This material is distributed by the Moroccan American Center for Policy on behalf of the Government of Morocco. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.