How a Small African Country is Leading the Fight Against Climate Change

How a Small African Country is Leading the Fight Against Climate Change

Could you imagine living in a country threatened to be consumed by rising sea levels? Since the industrial revolution, humans have polluted the planet with new factories and manufacturing centers. Rising temperatures, dying species, and environmental destruction are threatening the prosperity of human civilization. Today, you might think of Norway or Sweden as the leaders of climate action, but in reality, Morocco has led the world in climate action holding international conferences to push for more commitment (Bounoua). Almost every country in the world has failed to meet environmental requirements, pushing us further and further into the depths of global warming. It is time that a nation shows the world how they can create a healthy, working relationship with the environment (Dekkak). 

The climate challenges currently facing the African continent are dangerous, and they will likely continue to grow. Africa is a metropolis home to more than one billion people, and that doesn’t seem to be stopping as birth rates continue to rise in sub-Saharan regions despite a worsening climate. The ever-growing population demands ever-growing food supplies, but farming in the Nile has been threatened by new dam construction, putting limits on total farming quotas (Bounoua). The growing Sahara Desert continues to claim more and more territory, pushing into countries such as Morocco, decreasing precipitation and consuming arable land, threatening millions of Africans directly south of the desert (Washington). Many countries including Madagascar, Morocco, South Africa, and Niger are threatened by rising tides as large metropolitan centers are predicted to go underwater within a few decades if things do not begin to change (Dekkak). This places pressure on currently underdeveloped infrastructure, much of which is by the coasts. Many of these countries are already in heaven debt to countries such as China and the United States that have waged an economic war on the continent for the last few years, limiting local government action (Sheppard). Terrorist organizations take advantage of the turmoil caused by lost farming jobs and government insecurity to recruit new members. Sustaining Africa with a healthy relationship with the environment could go a long way in improving general stability, but terrorist threats require a lot of government resources.

Currently, The European Union, as well as the United States, have pumped billions of dollars into developing climate models with extremely high resolution that track current weather and climate conditions in Africa which can be used when building new infrastructure projects. Morocco has led multiple international conferences detailing how small changes to energy efficiency can go a long way into lowering coal and oil dependence (Platonova-Oquab). South Africa has committed to starting a program designed to broaden the reach of solar and wind power on the continent (Platonova-Oquab). Morocco has developed low-cost solar programs that see solar panels placed in local residences and decoupling persons from the main power grid (Dekkak). Local communities in Northern Africa with the help of European investment have implemented new technology alternatives that can help people lower their dependence on oil and gas as well as preserving natural parts of the environment (Platonova-Oquab). 

While climate change is looming, South Africa and Morocco lead the world in the battle to lower human impact on the environment. They have proven that despite domestic challenges and small budgets that they can meet projections and better their relationship with the environment (Debbak). As cities around the world risk being swallowed by the rising ties, we can look to Morocco as a leader in the fight against climate change, and urge our governments to take action.

Annotated Bibliography: 

"Africa: Climate Change." Gale Global Issues Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context: Global Issues, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CP3208520147/GIC?u=los42754&sid=GIC&xid=13f423f6. Accessed 18 Apr. 2020. Climate change is a real threat to the African continent, as poor infrastructure, government corruption, and wide-spread poverty prevents real action. Many parts of sub-Saharan Africa have already warmed almost an entire Celcius degree, illustrating the gravity of the problem. This comes from a credible non-profit database that works to provide education and resources to students across the globe. I used this source mainly to provide background information on the subject, which I found extremely useful in introducing myself to the subject. It also pointed out many existing African initiatives, which may spur further investigation.

Bounoua, Lahouari. “Climate Change Is Hitting African Farmers the Hardest of All.” The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2020, theconversation.com/climate-change-is-hitting-african-farmers-the-hardest-of-all-40845. Agriculture remains a major part of the African economy, but climate disaster is poised to ruin that already fragile economic sector. Countries such as Morocco have the economic resources available to start on large infrastructure projects designed to reduce net-carbon emissions, but these projects are limited to a country’s ability to pay. The Conversation is a non-profit education news media website rated highly in factual reporting and unbiased analysis. It is stated that the author “does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.” I think that this was extremely useful in narrowing my topic down to a few countries, mainly Morocco.

Dekkak, Mohamed. “Morocco's Good Policies for Environmental Sustainable Development.” - Praying That I Could Be Braver than I Believe, Stronger than I Seem and Smarter than I Think., 12 Sept. 2018, dekkak.com/moroccos-good-policies-for-environmental-sustainability/. With significant investments from Europe, America, and China, Morocco is leading the developing world in the race to combat climate change. Not only did it rank among the top ten climate combatants, but helped organize and lead international conferences designed to spark climate advocacy in other African nations. The construction of new solar and wind power plants are noticeable, taking full advantage of the hot and windy biomes of southern Morocco. I do not think that this is completely unbiased, for the author openly shares his affiliations with a host of different business groups, so it is fully possible that the article was written from the perspective of a European pushing the agenda of European goodwill in Africa. General facts align fairly well with reality. This was extremely useful because it gave me a deeper dive into Moroccan environmental advocacy and what international players have done to affect that.

Platonova-Oquab, Alexandrina, et al. “Cross-Sectoral Approaches to Achieving Morocco's Climate Commitments.” World Bank, The World Bank, 29 Aug. 2019, www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/08/29/cross-sectoral-approaches-to-achieving-moroccos-climate-commitments. The Article details the UN’s effort to collaborate with the Moroccan government to increase and facilitate their climate change effort. They used economic and environmental models to coordinate a response and work with local communities to reduce carbon waste. This piece was written by three very accomplished analysts at the World Bank, which is probably only of the most unbiased organizations in the world. This really honed in my article and research to Morocco, I was really impressed by both the credentials of the writers and the information and background insight that they provided.

Shepard, Dan. “Global Warming: Severe Consequences for Africa.” Global Warming: Severe Consequences for Africa | Inter Press Service, Inter Press Service, 2019, www.ipsnews.net/2019/01/global-warming-severe-consequences-africa/. Africa is at risk of large Climate Change effects. The area called the Sahen is grossly underdeveloped and has a high population growth rate. Resources are declining as a whole and rising temperatures risk increasing crop failure, on a continent already facing limited resources. The United Nations put Africa at high risk of environmental disaster. This was published in some sort of partnership with the United Nations, which is the largest multinational organization in the world. I think that it would be an unbiased source. The facts and information provided align with previous research and claims are reasonable. Probably very little bias. I honestly did not find this very helpful, most of the information I already knew, but the highlighting of the Sahen as a high-risk area prompted more interest and research.

Washington, Richard. “How Africa Will Be Affected by Climate Change.” BBC News, BBC, 15 Dec. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50726701. While East Africa is at risk of massive climate effects, new technologies are predicted to help the situation. Scientific breakthroughs that monitor climate at a distance of 2.3 miles will allow us to address specific climate problems that may lead to many trees dying. Richard Washington is a professor of climate science at the School of Geography and the Environment at Oxford University so he is probably taking this from a purely scientific perspective. Basic claims line up with other sources. I found a more scientific approach to the situation really helpful. It allowed me to take the perspective of someone wanting to solve the problem rather than just observe.