Report says Europe greenwashes energy using North Africa
Greenpeace have reported that European countries are extracting renewable energy from North African countries, particularly Morocco and Egypt, greenwashing their own economies.
According to The Guardian on February 20th, this leaves north Africans forced to import their fuels, paying environmental costs of using dirty fuel, as well as not receiving the benefits of using renewable energy sources made in their own country, using their resources.
Recently, Morocco and Egypt have been leveraging their strategic locations south of the Mediterranean, and their solar and wind power potential, to position themselves as a key player in the global renewable energy market.
Greenpeace have argued that European-backed renewable and lower-carbon projects producing energy for export are harming Morocco and Egypt’s ability to rid their economies of carbon.
North Africa’s move to renewable sources of energy is having negative impacts on locals, as populations are displaced and natural resources such as water is used up. The search for green energy sources in the region has also caused disruption to geological formations due to overdrilling, leading to soil erosion and contamination, and polluting the water supply. On February 21st, Greenpeace warned against a new UK-Morocco renewable energy deal, expressing fears that it may perpetuate unfair resource exploitation, branding the deal as “green colonialism.”
Despite their move to green energy, both Egypt and Morocco are still net importers of fossil fuel energy, as they buy large quantities of oil and gas to fuel their economies, while selling their green energy to Europe. Egypt specifically has increased their use of mazut, a dirty fuel that contains toxins such as heavy metals and sulphides.
However, international investment to build the infrastructure and industry may enable North Africa to scale up their renewable sector, allowing North Africans to use and benefit from their own clean energy. An example of this has been in Morocco, where TotalEnergies invested $10.6bn (£8.4bn) in a green hydrogen and ammonia plant in Guelmim-Oued Noun, which will allow production to begin in 2027.
Hanen Keskes, campaigns lead at Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa, explained the situation : “The global north must take responsibility for reducing its own consumption and building domestic renewable capacity, instead of externalising socio-environmental costs to the global south. We must continue to fight to decolonise and transform the global financial architecture.”
The Guardian, Maghrebi, World Wildlife Fund
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