Images reveal how climate change is upending life in Moroccan oases

The world oasis are at the forefront of an existential battle against climate change: limited precipitation and increasing heat have dramatically affected these unique ecosystems and the culture they support. Morocco lost two-thirds of its oases – lush, fertile areas in the desert – in a single century.

Take the town of M’Hamid El Ghizlane, the last stop before the vast arid expanse of the Sahara. Here, local people beg the desert for water (pictured above). Dressed in white robes, they meet regularly at the gates of the desert to recite ancestral songs calling for an end to the drought and the return of life to these lands.

While droughts have always been a part of life here, they were intermittent, allowing people to store food and water to get through periods of drought. But the oasis that sustains the community has shrunk in recent decades, leading to scorched palm trees and threatening centuries of culture and tradition.

The town’s economy has traditionally been based on date palms (main photo) and camel breeding (pictured above), but with these livelihoods under threat, many are resettling to neighboring towns. Those who stay often earn their living through tourism. Former farmers turned self-taught guides offer visitors desert expeditions and tea ceremonies (pictured below) – a preview of life that persists despite challenges.