The Moroccan Minister of Ecological Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, committed before the international COP26 plenary this November 4 to a national “declaration of transition from coal to clean energy.”
This substantial announcement made in Glasgow accompanies a joint declaration, gathering 190 countries and organizations, who agreed to no longer fund coal-fired power plants to produce their electricity.
The UK-led coalition gathers countries such as Vietnam, Chile and Egypt, in addition to Morocco. However, major countries involved in the sector such as Australia, China, India, the United States, Japan or Russia are missing and are not among the signatories.
The British government said signatories of the COP26 agreement are committing to ending all investment in new coal power generation domestically and internationally, as well as rapidly scale up clean power generation through solar, wind and current technologies.
Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel, as greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal were identified as the single-biggest contributor to climate change.
“The world is moving in the right direction, standing ready to seal coal’s fate and embrace the environmental and economic benefits of building a future that is powered by clean energy,” said Kwasi Kwarteng, the British business and energy secretary.
Moroccans residing in cities close to coal-based power plants have been complaining of respiratory issues and serious air pollution for years.
Reports from environmental activists and in person scientific studies have shown the air is severely polluted from particles in the form of “black dust,” plaguing cities such as Kenitra and Mohamedia.
Morocco’s electricity production is highly dependent on coal, as the combustible sources over 31% of the country’s power supply.
Despite Morocco’s dependence on coal, the country has invested massively in solar energy and sustainable power sources, as what some call “the last Moroccan coal power plant” is under construction in the city of Nador, north of the kingdom.
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