Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir
High Atlas Foundation, 511 Sixth Avenue #K110, New York, NY, 10011
yossef@highatlasfoundation.org
Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir is the founder and president of the High Atlas Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainable development. He is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Virginia’s International Studies Office. In Morocco, he was a Peace Corps Volunteer, Associate Peace Corps Director, and a Professor at Al Akhawayn University at the School of Social Sciences and Humanities. Dr. Ben-Meir holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of New Mexico, an MA in international development from Clark University, and a BA in economics from New York University. He authored more than 120 articles about human development.
Kerstin Opfer
Germanwatch e.V. Dr.Werner-Schuster-Haus, Kaiserstr 201, D-53113 Bonn, Germany
opfer@germanwatch.org
Kerstin Opfer, Policy Advisor - Energy Policy and Civil Society - Africa and MENA with Germanwatch e.V.. Prior to this Kerstin Opfer worked as Operations Manager for the High Atlas Foundation in Morocco and as an expert consultant for several large conservation and development programs in North Africa, Sub-Sahara Africa, and the West Pacific. She holds a Master of Science in Conservation and Rural Development from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
Abstract
North Africa is one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change. Severe environmental degradation threatens the scarce natural resources of countries like Morocco in the region and jeopardizes local economic performance, often heavily dependent on natural capital such as agriculture, mineral resources, and fisheries. This in turn entails consequences for human development. Creeping desertification, compromised forest areas, diminishing water resource potential, the sharp degradation of fragile ecosystems like oases and the coast, and high vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters are not only threatening Morocco’s rich biodiversity but also the livelihoods, well-being, and health of its people. Swift action to combat climate change and increase energy security in Morocco must be taken. Morocco’s government has realized the urgency of these issues and has accordingly devoted large sums to climate mitigation and adaptation. Morocco is one of the first countries in Africa to champion renewable energy (RE) and to align economic development with environmental protection and sustainable development. Morocco’s RE program is one of the most ambitious in the world and is unique in its emphasis on decentralization as a way to achieve sustainable development. While Morocco's deployment of RE relies mostly on large-scale installations, Morocco has also piloted small-scale RE projects that promote sustainable development initiatives centered on civil society’s capacities to manage their affairs. Yet despite Morocco’s well-developed guidelines for regional and community-level emphases for decentralization in the MENA region, the country has not applied its guidelines consistently. In this paper’s analysis, the major challenges to implementing renewable energy projects with local communities through the decentralization mechanism are not sector-specific but relate to the national need for a singular decentralization strategy that is furthered by the quality implementation of Morocco’s existing participatory frameworks for sustainable development. This essay analyzes Morocco’s governmental approaches to creating a decentralized management system, particularly as it may impact, and in turn, be shaped by community-based RE and development. Decentralization is discussed in regard to how it may be built alongside the fulfillment of Morocco's Municipal Charter and its commitment to ensure the community planning of projects, as well as with an enhanced National Initiative for Human Development, the government’s flagship funding program for local sustainability. Recommendations are given as to how Morocco may accelerate community-managed RE by achieving decentralization assisted by effectively implementing existing national structures for the people’s development. Most RE projects in the Kingdom are large-scale and government-led, which is indispensable to meet the energy demand of Morocco’s population. However, these projects need to be complemented by decentralized, small- and medium-scale RE project installations for a coordinated energy transition that will benefit local Moroccan communities and use resources sustainably. Morocco’s considerable RE potential presents an important opportunity to address the climate crisis. Large-scale implementation of renewables is indispensable to meet Morocco’s energy needs, and they should be accompanied by small-scale RE solutions to contribute to poverty reduction. Promoting the use of decentralized, participatory, and community-centered RE can allow Morocco to become the world’s climate leader and the first country to propose a different model for energy and electricity issues. However, this approach requires the development of policy and regulatory frameworks as well as new forms of cooperation and the fostering of opportunities for potential investments. Setting clear political goals is essential to secure investments, stakeholders’ mobilization, and resources allocation. This highlights the fact that a strong political will is indispensable for driving the decentralization of RE.
KEYWORDS: Energy, Decentralization, Morocco, Transition,