In the Moroccan kingdom, where green energies represent nearly 40%, the authorities have embarked on a vast industrial decarbonization plan
Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and the consequences of global warming on people and the environment are increasingly evident. The floods that hit a third of Pakistan in August and the hottest and driest summer Europe has seen in 500 years, to name but two extremes, have once again highlighted the urgency for joint global action. However, meeting the conditions and cooperating has become more difficult in a context marked by the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and the tensions between the United States and China, the two main emitters of CO2 in the world.
Since 2017, Morocco has implemented a national plan to decarbonize its industries. The aim is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by using more renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydropower. 2017 was also the year Maghreb Industries CEO Hakim Marrakchi moved his chewing gum factory from central Casablanca to the airport industrial zone and opted for a low-carbon strategy. Maghreb Industries has reduced its consumption of fossil fuels by 20% and plans to further expand its solar power plant to supply industrial processes for the production of chewing gum.
PHOTO/TWITTER/@COP27P –
In Sharm El Sheikh, as part of the Egyptian COP27 summit, the implementation of the Paris climate agreement and how the emission reduction targets will be achieved were discussed. They also discussed the rules of the mechanism that allows countries to achieve their goals by funding climate protection projects abroad. Last year, states pledged to improve their climate ambition and increase their “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) every year, instead of every five years as originally planned. However, only 23 of the nearly 200 countries submitted updated reduction targets for 2030 before the deadline set by the UN.
Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco, goodwill ambassador of the Congo Climate Basin Council and the Congo Basin Blue Foundation in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, underlined the strong commitment of the Moroccan kingdom to support the activities of the three Councils Climate Africans. “As a founding partner and, above all, as a great defender of Africa in the region, the Kingdom of Morocco is determined to contribute to the achievement of the objectives set at the first Brazzaville Summit and the concrete actions recommended by the sequel,” she said.
In this regard, the Princess underlined Morocco’s firm commitment to support the merger of the two other African climate committees at the highest level. In this regard, Lalla Hasnaa recalled that the Congo Basin region is the second largest carbon sink in the world and stressed that its “conservation is a major global challenge and that it is the responsibility of all actors in protect her”.
REUTERS/THAIER AL-SUDANI – Sharm el Sheikh International Convention Center during the opening of the COP27 climate summit
Moroccan authorities have appointed Assia Benhida, Partner & Market Leader Maghreb at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), to support their decarbonization and energy transition strategy and have worked with consultancy PwC to prepare a list of priority sectors. “One of the priority sectors is everything related to the construction industry, cement, etc. There are also cottage industries that need to move from the “grey” zone to the “green” zone, especially the leather industry because the agricultural activity is an important source of employment.”
As Assia Benhida points out, the challenge for the Moroccan industry is both climatic and competitive. Indeed, from 2025, Europe will impose a carbon tax on insufficiently decarbonized imports, whereas Morocco does not intend to lose its producers to greener competitors. The aim is to formulate a new funding target for the post-2025 period, which all countries in a position to do so should support.
