On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at the headquarters of the Pan-African Intergovernmental Organization, CAFRAD, in collaboration with the International Professional Alliance for Climate Crisis and Mental Health, the Master’s Program in Economic and Political Geography of Africa, and the African Forum for Development and Geographical and Strategic Research, organized an international roundtable on the theme: “Human Geography and Climate Crisis Management: International Experience Serving the African Continent.”

The roundtable was supported by the International Project “The Creative Society,” an international, independent, and voluntary project that transcends politics and religions and aims to unite the efforts of people around the world to combat one of the most serious problems of our time: the climate crisis. With its slogan: “Act today to protect against tomorrow’s climate challenges,” the Creative Society is composed of prominent international figures, including those from the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Morocco, notably professors from the Mohammed V and VI Universities of Rabat.

With the exponential frequency and intensity of environmental disasters, anthropogenic climate change (the Anthropocene) is recognized today as one of the most pressing challenges of the 21^st century. Added to climate change, human malaise, even the dehumanization of systems and society, remains an obstacle to climate resilience.

One of the key messages of this working session is the importance of preserving human life: “Human life is the supreme value”: the mission of societies, governments, international and intergovernmental parties is to protect and preserve human value above all else.

Indeed, the speakers at the international roundtable addressed the impacts of the climate crisis on health, particularly mental health, the threat of disappearing oceans, disaster risk management in Africa in the era of climate change, and the national strategy for natural disaster risk management 2020-2030. It should be noted that plastic pollution of the seas and oceans prevents these CO2 collectors from fully playing their role in the fight against global warming. As a result, micro- and nano-plastics in the oceans and atmosphere constitute the most serious health problems. In a few years, one in two children will be born with autistic disorders. Every person aged 40 to 50 carries 0.5% of the grams of micro- and nano-plastics in their brain. It is clear that climate change is insidiously affecting people’s mental health.

To address climate threats and the dehumanization of society, the solutions offered by technological innovations are not enough. In addition, collective awareness and a framework for global cooperation and multilateral action are required in research, development, and deployment.

A toolkit of innovative practices has been developed for African countries.

The discussions were moderated by a panel of experts from around the world, including Dr. C. Dieudonné Assouvi, Director General of CAFRAD, and Professor Moussa El Malki, Coordinator of the Master’s Program in Economic and Political Geography of Africa and President of the African Forum for Development and Geographic and Strategic Research at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco.

More information on the presentation sheet: Click here