Energy transition and Renewables

The U.S.–China technological rivalry has become a central axis of global economic and geopolitical competition. While the United States continues to lead in frontier innovation—most notably in advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI)—China has consolidated strengths in large-scale implementation, manufacturing capacity, and control over critical segments of global supply chains. These advantages are especially visible in clean energy technologies and in the processin ...

This policy brief examines what the 2025–2026 period reveals about the future of global energy risk and the energy transition. After the shocks of 2021–2023, 2025 brought broad price easing: oil and coal prices declined as supply growth outpaced demand, and the World Bank projects further declines in the global energy price index in 2026, offering short-term relief for energy-importing economies. The brief argues, however, that the macroeconomic relevance of energy entering 202 ...

This policy brief was originally published on : euromesco.net This paper examines the nexus between governance structures, digital transformation, sustainability, and port service efficiency through an international comparative lens, with a specific focus on the Tanger Med–Algeciras corridor in the strait of Gibraltar. Using global best practices—from Singapore to Busan and Kaohsiung—it explores how public-private coordination, digital innovation, and green transition policies ...

This Opinion was originaly published on kalam.chathamhouse.org Morocco’s environmental governance rests on a comprehensive constitutional and legal architecture that establishes the right to a healthy environment as a fundamental right. The 2011 Constitution obliges the state to ensure equal access to water, a healthy environment, and sustainable development while also requiring the protection of natural resources and future generations, and guaranteeing equal environmental rig ...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly emerging as both an energy optimizer and a structural source of energy demand. While AI promises efficiency gains in forecasting, grid management, and emissions reduction, its expansion is already reshaping electricity systems: data center consumption could more than double by 2030. Beyond this techno-economic duality lies a deeper challenge: the sovereignty of digital and energy systems. AI rests on highly concentrated supply chains of chips, ...

The author of this opinion, Salem Afeworki, is a 2016 alumna of the Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders Program.Creating sustainable, carbon-free cities requires more than technical and technological solutions—it demands a fundamental shift in leadership and decision-making. After sixteen years leading sustainability initiatives across four continents, I've discovered that intergenerational leadership is both morally right and strategically essential for effective and last ...

During my mid-2025 visit to Morocco my second trip to the country that year I experienced a distinct and powerful shift in momentum. The Global Growth Congress, where I had the honour of speaking on “Africa’s Energy Future: From Potential to Power,” transcended the usual conference format; it felt like a turning point. The event reflected a growing acknowledgment that Africa’s role in the global energy landscape is no longer peripheral but central. The stakes have been raised, the c ...

I have been traveling to Morocco regularly—at least twice a year—for many years. But this time, the atmosphere in Rabat felt markedly different. I had the honor of addressing the Global Growth Congress, where I spoke on a topic that is rapidly becoming one of the most consequential issues of our time: Africa’s Energy Future: From Potential to Power.We were not merely discussing electrons and megawatts. We were dissecting sovereignty, resilience, global competition, and the future of ...

Dans un contexte devenu plus incertain et plus compliqué à la suite des décisions de la nouvelle administration américaine, les impératifs de la lutte contre le changement climatique et de la transition énergétique et écologique demeurent.Les banques centrales peuvent et doivent apporter leur contribution à cette transition, en « verdissant », dans une proportion à définir, la politique monétaire qu’elles mènent. Concrètement, cela veut dire compléter la palette des object ...

This paper (see pages: 165-198), included in the book 'Green intersections: the global embedding of climate change in policy' was originally published on bruegel.org   The demand for energy in Africa is growing rapidly, driven by population growth, urbanisation and industrialisation. Nevertheless, over 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity, which represents a significant energy gap for the continent. At the same time, Africa is endowed with vast renewable ...

Le lithium a vu ses prix s’effondrer au cours des deux dernières années, alors que sa demande devrait fortement croître pour alimenter l’essor programmé des véhicules électriques et des ‘’ clean techs ‘’. Paradoxe ou situation caractéristique des marchés mondiaux de matières où l’instabilité fait loi et où la géostratégie joue pleinement son rôle ? Une analyse des mécanismes à l’œuvre sur le marché de cette ressource stratégique est nécessaire, afin de comprendre la p ...

Lithium prices have plummeted over the past two years, while demand is set to rise sharply to fuel the planned boom in electric vehicles and "clean tech". Is this a paradox, or is it typical of global commodity markets where instability is the rule and geostrategy plays a key role? An analysis of the mechanisms at work in the market for this strategic resource is needed to understand the shape this market may take over the next few years. ...

While the very reality of the energy transition is sometimes questioned, even challenged (Fressoz, 2023), the carryover effect it creates on mineral resources, highlighted by numerous forward-looking studies, appears indisputable. More copper, lithium, nickel, graphite or rare earths: these are the non-exhaustive conditions that will enable us to support the development of electromobility and renewable energies, and thus contribute to limiting global warming, in line with the commit ...

The global energy landscape in 2024 reflects a complex interplay of geopolitical tensions, economic pressures, and uneven progress in clean energy transitions. Despite record growth in renewable energy deployment and advancements in low-carbon technologies, the world continues to fall short of meeting its climate goals. Fragmented markets, entrenched fossil fuel dependencies, and supply chain vulnerabilities continue to challenge energy security and hinder global decarbonization eff ...

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is at a critical juncture, facing an intricate polycrisis defined by interlinked challenges including energy insecurity, water scarcity, migration, conflict, and socio-political fragmentation. These crises are not isolated; their interconnectedness amplifies their impact, creating a destabilizing feedback loop that hinders sustainable development and peacebuilding efforts. This paper explores the concept of polycrisis through the lens o ...

In September 2024, scientists at the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service  reported that summer 2024 was the hottest on record globally, and the previous twelve months posted a average global temperature that was a record 1.64 degrees Celsius (2.95 degrees Fahrenheit) above the average during the pre-industrial period, 1850-1900. This was triggered by a combination of a warmer El Niño cycle and the effects of human-caused warming. While it will take more years of ...

Si la réalité même de la transition énergétique est parfois questionnée, voire remise en cause (Fressoz, 2023), l’effet de report qu’elle crée sur les ressources minérales, mis en évidence par de nombreuses études prospectives, apparaît indiscutable. Plus de cuivre, de lithium, de nickel, de graphite ou de terres rares : telles sont les conditions non exhaustives permettant de soutenir le développement de l’électromobilité et des énergies renouvelables et, ainsi, de contribuer ...

The road to decarbonizing the planet runs through the energy transition, which includes the shift from fossil-fueled cars to renewable energy vehicles. This automotive transition is unfolding as a true revolution in the industry. The evolution toward electric and hybrid vehicles has come in tandem with the ascent of Chinese producers. In the current context of geopolitical and technological rivalries, the automotive transition has been marked by an intense trade war, with implicati ...

This paper was originally published on t20brasil.org   In a global context marked by unprecedented economic and environmental challenges, Africa stands at a crossroads. The rapid rise in public debt, coupled with the climate emergency, imposes a dual constraint on the continent's countries, severely limiting their ability to pursue sustainable development and mitigate the effects of climate change. This critical situation calls for innovative and effective solutions capa ...

Green industrial policies are essential to enable the structural transformations needed for a successful transition to a low-carbon economy. Because of the pressing need to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, it is imperative to reallocate resources strategically from carbon-intensive sectors to sustainable, high-productivity industries. This transition is critical both to mitigate the impacts of climate change and to promote long-term economic growth and sustai ...

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ‘Zeitenwende’ in February 2022 marked a significant shift in German foreign and security policy in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This paper analyzes Germany’s new strategic direction, including increased defense spending, reduced energy dependence on Russia, and strengthened NATO and EU alliances. It examines the domestic political debates surrounding these changes and their implications for European security dynamics. The study also expl ...

Over the next decade, the energy transition will transform the global economic landscape in terms of regulations, industrial and energy investments, and technological solutions. The African continent is set to play a significant role in this transition while addressing its own sustainable development needs. To fully capitalize on this emerging dynamic, African countries should pursue innovative paths tailored to their specific contexts and constraints. They should also identify stra ...

Au cours de la prochaine décennie, la transition énergétique transformera le paysage économique mondial en termes de régulations, d’investissements industriels et énergétiques et de solutions technologiques développées. Le continent africain est appelé à jouer un rôle important dans cette transition, tout en répondant à ses propres besoins de développement durable. Pour tirer pleinement profit de cette dynamique naissante, les pays africains devraient s'engager sur de ...

It all began in 1924, when the World Energy Council (WEC) was established in order to harness the collective expertise of the global energy community and translate vision into tangible outcomes. In April 2024, the city of Rotterdam hosted the 26th Congress of the World Energy Council, whose theme was “Redesigning Energy for Better Lives and a Healthy Planet”.  It is not about a single energy transition, but rather many energy transitions. The concept of energy transition is ...

The issue of environmental degradation represents a significant global challenge. It manifests in various forms, including physical alterations such as air pollution, ozone depletion, climate change, marine pollution and biodiversity loss. These changes are proven to be linked to human activities, such as energy production and consumption, tourism and agriculture. Additionally, factors like population growth and health and safety concerns contribute to environmental decline. Is Gro ...

This study conducts an in-depth exploration of the increasing interest in voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) in Africa, shedding light on the potential opportunities and challenges associated with African participation in these markets. VCMs have gained prominence as promising means to address climate change, driven by substantial financial incentives and market expansion. Nonetheless, persistent debates revolve around the legitimacy of carbon credits and their tangible contributions t ...

The current decade is critical for global decarbonization. The ongoing energy transition will bring about changes in technology, commodities, infrastructure, supply chains, as well as geopolitical factors, which could give rise to new energy security challenges. It is therefore important to undertake a thorough re-evaluation of energy security dynamics, with a view to enhancing the resilience of power systems. In this paper, we examine North Africa’s energy transition trajectory th ...

Low-carbon hydrogen is a potential contributor to the goals defined in the Paris Agreement, i.e. limiting the increase in the global average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The transformation of hydrogen production is a part of this effort, as current production methods in the hydrogen industry are carbon-intensive. To achieve net-zero scenarios, hydrogen production and consumption will need to change. Creating a pipeline of projects plays a central role in drivin ...

Par rapport aux intérêts des générations des années cinquante, soixante et soixante-dix (dont je fais partie), la question de l’environnement n’est venue se greffer dans les préoccupations des acteurs, leurs réflexions et programmes d’action, que tardivement. Il faudra encore quelque temps pour mûrir les éléments de cette problématique relativement nouvelle. Toutefois, dès le départ on est partagé entre deux visions : d’une part, une approche qui considère la protection de l’ ...

The author of this piece, Carolina Novac, is a 2023 alumna of the Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders program. Learn more about her here.   This year, I had the honor to participate for the first time in the World Economic Forum (WEF), as a member of the delegation of Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean. WEF has always been a melting pot of innovative ideas, and a place where world leaders, business giants, and thought leaders can bring suitable, joint solutions to ...

As a net energy importer seeking to improve its energy security, Morocco has stepped up initiatives to achieve a level of domestic energy sovereignty. This includes following guidelines for transitioning to cleaner energy sources, with an emphasis on diversification. This diversification extends to natural gas, solar and wind power, and innovative solutions such as green hydrogen. Morocco recognizes cooperation as a crucial element for the success of its strategies, as underlined by ...

Le paysage énergétique mondial est actuellement en mutation, marqué par des progrès importants en termes de transition vers des sources d'énergie renouvelables et d’accélération de l'électrification. Cette évolution est cruciale pour faire face au changement climatique et assurer un avenir énergétique durable. Elle coexiste, néanmoins, avec l'utilisation persistante des énergies fossiles dans certains secteurs. Bien que les technologies renouvelables soient dorénavant compétitives e ...

The Mediterranean region is one of the major climate-change hotspots. Advancing the region’s transition to a low-carbon and renewable energy production system will be crucial to counter global warming and achieve the objectives outlined in the Paris Agreement. However, fossil fuels continue to dominate the region's energy mix, while renewable energy sources meet only a marginal share of the overall demand. The green-energy transition in Mediterranean countries, moreover, represents ...

Le 1er octobre 2023 a marqué le début de la phase transitoire du Mécanisme d'Ajustement Carbone aux Frontières (CBAM en anglais) de l'Union européenne (UE). L'objectif de cette initiative est d'instaurer une tarification du carbone sur les biens importés qui soit équivalente à celle appliquée aux biens produits au sein de l'UE, visant ainsi à réguler les émissions de carbone. Cette démarche implique la mise en place d'un ensemble d'obligations de déclaration et de conformité pour le ...

The global economic environment has changed as the U.S.—and to a less confrontational degree, the European Union—have clearly established a context of technological rivalry with China. Hindering China’s progress in the sophistication of semiconductor production has become a centerpiece of current U.S. foreign policy. While the U.S. is clearly winning the semiconductor war, the picture is different when it comes to clean-energy technology. Both technology wars overlap with access to ...

This report was originally published on hss.de   This report presents an analysis and recommendations regarding EU-Africa relations with a focus on the green transition and energy, the first priority area of the EU’s Comprehensive Strategy with Africa. It aims at identifying the areas in climate and energy policy in which jointly owned cooperation is possible, and how the partnership, ultimately, can unlock mutual benefits. Specifically, the report examines global c ...

Le développement industriel au Maroc a connu globalement une croissance soutenue durant les deux dernières décennies. Des locomotives ont contribué à l’émergence et à la consolidation d’écosystèmes industriels compétitifs et résilients. Leur rôle moteur et catalyseur, appuyé par un ensemble d’initiatives portées par des politiques publiques volontaristes, ont permis de placer le Maroc dans des chaînes de valeur mondiales et dans des secteurs de haute technologie. La ...

À  l’approche du Sommet africain du climat (Africa Climate Summit), qui se tiendra à Nairobi du 4 au 6 septembre 2023, de très nombreuses organisations non gouvernementales (ONG) ont écrit au président du Kenya, William Ruto, pour lui faire part de leurs inquiétudes concernant l’ordre du jour de ce sommet. Selon ces ONG, les intérêts des entreprises et des pays occidentaux pourraient prendre le pas sur ceux de l’Afrique. Les vraies priorités sont notamment d’éliminer progressiv ...

Deborah Braide is a 2022 alumna of Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders program. Learn more about her here. Although equitable participation in STEM careers has historically been low, through advocacy, policy changes and recent initiatives, African women and youths are now rising to the forefront of STEM and sustainable energy. Maintaining momentum and addressing barriers to entry requires a holistic transformation of educational systems, financing, and socio-cultural norm ...

The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has emerged as an important policy tool in the European Union's (EU) efforts to combat climate change and prevent carbon leakage. By putting a price on carbon emissions embedded in certain goods imported into the EU, the CBAM has the potential to impact economies worldwide, including Morocco. This policy brief examines recent CBAM developments and assesses their implications for Morocco's economy and climate change efforts. It analyzes t ...

 This brief was originally published on gmfus.org as part of a partnership between the Policy Center for the New South and the German Marshall Fund of the United States.   Air and ocean temperatures are increasing at record levels despite international efforts to mitigate carbon emissions. The consequences of this failure go beyond its harmful effects on climate patterns to endangering global political, economic, and social stability. ...

The energy and ecological transition (EET) is inevitable, desirable, and now accepted worldwide. But how this transition will be financed remains highly uncertain. This Policy Paper analyzes the financing needs and reviews the different possible financial channels. Some avenues have already been launched, and procedures and instruments are being put in place, but all of this remains insufficient. Many solutions will have to be combined, and these will require financial innovations, ...

This Policy Paper was originally published on freiheit.org This study explores how Morocco can successfully develop a green hydrogen market and at the same time contribute to the global energy transition. Authors Rim Berahab and Afaf Zarkik show how Morocco’s bold strategies and investments in renewables can shape a promising future for green hydrogen. They chart a path to decipher the potential of this energy vector, while outlining the elements necessary for the emergence o ...

Nothing better illustrates the positive contribution of the integration of national economies into global value chains than the fact that in the 1990s, the automotive sector barely existed in Morocco. Now, it is the leading export sector, with a production and assembly capacity of 700,000 vehicles, making it an attractive and competitive hub linking Africa and Europe in the automotive value chain. However, the automotive industry is on the cusp of change, with advances in electric a ...

La transition énergétique et écologique (TEE) est inéluctable, souhaitable et désormais acceptée au plan mondial. Mais le financement de cette transition demeure fort incertain. L’objet de ce Policy Paper est d’analyser les besoins de financement à considérer, et de passer en revue les différents canaux financiers possibles. Des pistes ont déjà été lancées, des procédures et des instruments sont mis en place, mais tout cela reste insuffisant. Il va falloir combiner un grand nombre d ...

The energy sector faces many challenges that undermine economic growth, energy security and access, and environmental sustainability. To address these challenges, Atlantic Basin countries need to improve access to reliable energy, diversify their energy mix with low-carbon alternatives and improve energy efficiency in the long term. However, the transition to clean energy will also create new risks and challenges that differ from one Atlantic country to another, requiring additional ...

Nallely Garza is a 2022 alumna of Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders program. Learn more about her here. On March 1, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, confirmed during Tesla’s Investors Day the construction of its next Gigafactory in Monterrey, Mexico, which will represent an investment of 5 billion dollars and the creation of around 6,000 new jobs. The question is, “Why Mexico”? What are the factors that made Mexico win this investment against other countries? Mexico’s automo ...

This policy paper examines India’s growing engagement in North Africa, focusing on five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. Despite lacking a distinct regional policy for North Africa, India has amplified its bilateral engagement with these countries, underpinned by a steadfast commitment to the principle of South-South cooperation. Through its strategic moves in North Africa, India has established a powerful southern-west axis for its foreign policy that stretch ...

The contemporary global energy landscape is experiencing noteworthy changes in demand, supply, technology, markets, and investment. These developments transcend conventional oil and gas security considerations. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, have become increasingly cost-effective compared to fossil fuels, and the minerals required to produce them are gaining importance. Nevertheless, recent events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine ha ...

The North Sea has been an important energy hub for many European countries for centuries. It is home to many natural resources, from oil and natural gas, to wind and wave energy, making it a powerhouse of energy production. In recent decades, the North Sea has seen significant investment in energy infrastructure and innovation, allowing many of these resources to be harnessed and used to supply energy to much of Europe. Furthermore, the North Sea has become more important for Europe ...

The volatility in energy markets since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019/2020 has continued, with unprecedented uncertainty about global energy supply developing over the course of 2022 in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, against a backdrop of weakening macroeconomic conditions and high inflation. While some perceived this as a potential setback for the energy transition, others saw it as an opportunity to move away from fossil fuels and accelerate the developme ...

A rapidly-expanding market Water desalination is gradually emerging as the leading solution to cope with increasing water stress: i.e., the imbalance between water demand and quantities available. The United Nations estimates that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will be affected by such challenges. The causes of water scarcity are multiple, including climate change, intensive agriculture, and population growth. This requires states to rethink their water policies, whi ...

Les fluctuations que connaissent les marchés de l'énergie depuis le début de la pandémie de la Covid-19 en 2019/2020 se sont prolongées, avec une incertitude sans précédent, sur l'approvisionnement énergétique mondial, qui s'est développée au cours de 2022 à la suite de l'invasion de l'Ukraine par la Russie, dans un contexte d'affaiblissement de la macroéconomie et d'inflation élevée. Alors que certains voyaient en ce contexte un risque de ralentissement de la transition énergétique ...

The green hydrogen market1 is poised for major upheaval in the years to come as new players in the energy transition emerge. This market, however, still depends on the development of demand, the reduction of production, transport and storage costs, the development of truly competitive supply chains and the establishment of and appropriate legal and regulatory framework. Despite the many challenges facing this sector, a number of countries have begun to position themselves as impor ...

Le marché de l’hydrogène vert est appelé à connaitre de grands bouleversements dans les années à venir avec l’émergence de nouveaux acteurs de la transition énergétique. Néanmoins, ce marché est encore tributaire du développement de la demande, de la baisse des coûts de production, de transport et de stockage, du développement d’une chaîne logistique très compétitive et de la mise en place de cadre juridique et règlementaire approprié. Malgré les différents dé ...

In a global context shaped by a three-dimensional crisis: the Covid-19 crisis, the climate change crisis, and the Russia-Ukraine war, the issues of connectivity, value chains, and the green transition are at the heart of the current policy debates all over the globe. In this regard, the Policy Center for the New South has organized, jointly with the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), a conference on November 2nd, 2022, under the theme “Connectivity, Value Chains, and the Green Tr ...

After several decades of reforms, the situation in centralized power sectors has hardly changed. The sub-Saharan power sector remains underdeveloped, and power sectors are experiencing significant financial difficulties that have been further exacerbated first by the effects of the pandemic and then the war in Ukraine. ...

This year, the Conference of the Parties (COP27) will be held in in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. On the outset of this auspicious occasion, it is befitting to reflect upon contemporary climate adaptation and mitigation policies, from a southern and African point of view. Indeed, climate change is one of the stickiest policy problems of the 21st century, because it is inherently a global and multidimensional problem entailing a bundle of policy features. Following the consecutives shocks ...

La COP27 se déroulera du 7 au 18 novembre 2022 à Charm el-Cheikh, en Égypte, afin d’évaluer l’impact des mesures prises par les parties et les progrès accomplis dans la réalisation des objectifs de la Convention-cadre, à savoir stabiliser les concentrations de gaz à effet de serre à un niveau qui empêche toute perturbation anthropique dangereuse induite par l’homme du système climatique. Alors que la concentration de dioxyde de carbone dans l’atmosphère est plus forte que jamais, la ...

This chapter was originally published in CEPR's eBook "Scaling Up Sustainable Finance and Investment in the Global South" The world faces a huge shortage of infrastructure investment relative to its needs. With few exceptions, such as China, this shortage is even greater in non-advanced countries. The G20 Infrastructure Investors Dialogue estimated the volume of global infrastructure investment needed by 2040 to be $81 trillion, $53 trillion of which is needed in non- advanced cou ...

This publication was originally published in Project Syndicate    Mobilizing excess savings in advanced economies for much-needed investment in green infrastructure in emerging-market and developing economies will not be easy. But it is possible, if both the public and private sectors do their parts. WASHINGTON, DC – To spur development and fight climate change, emerging-market and developing economies (EMDEs) will need huge amounts of investment in green infrastructure ...

La succession des chocs pandémique, climatique et géopolitique a éprouvé les économies africaines. Les liens commerciaux et financiers avec le monde ne sont plus seulement considérés comme des moteurs de performance, mais aussi comme des sources potentielles de vulnérabilité. La défiance à l’égard de la mondialisation s’est accrue. Parce qu’elle est venue souligner la dépendance du continent, le dérèglement de ses rapports à la nature et sa vulnérabilité face aux tensions géopolitiq ...

Après plusieurs décennies de réformes, la situation des secteurs électriques centralisés a peu évolué. Le secteur de l’électricité subsaharien reste peu développé et les secteurs électriques font face à d’importantes difficultés financières qui ont été encore accrues par les conséquences de la pandémie puis de la guerre en Ukraine. Les pertes d’exploitation de l’ensemble des secteurs électriques africains auraient dépassé les 150 milliards de dollars en 2020. F ...

In May 2021, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) report Net Zero by 2050 stated that there is no need for new investments in oil and gas fields in their net zero pathway[1]. The message was clear: place your next investments in clean energy sources and energy efficiency. However, the IEA’s Africa Energy Outlook 2022 stated that Africa’s industrialisation relies in expanding the use of natural gas[2]. Even the IEA executive director Fatih Birol said, “if we make a list of the top ...

Les énergies fossiles (pétrole, charbon, gaz naturel) ne sont plus à la mode, compte tenu de leur très importante responsabilité dans le changement climatique. Les appels en vue de leur disparition (progressive) se multiplient mais ces combustibles représentent encore un peu plus de 80 % de la consommation mondiale d’énergie primaire (83 % en 2021, selon la BP Statistical Review of World Energy). Et de nombreux projets sont en cours de développement à travers le monde. En Afrique, l ...

Pursuing efforts to decarbonize economies and increase energy systems’ resilience is crucial to stay within global warming limits and fight the consequences of climate change, which are becoming increasingly acute. The transition to a net-zero economy will be commodityintensive and require significant quantities of critical minerals, defined as metals and nonmetals essential to high-tech sectors. As the shift to cleaner technologies progresses, supply of critical minerals for the en ...

Emerging market and developing economies (EMDE) face a common set of external shocks: rising energy and food prices; tightening in global financial conditions caused by the prospect of sharper interest rate hikes and anticipation of "quantitative tightening"; and return of restrictions on mobility in China, on account of the Covid zero policy, leading to slumping in growth and weakening one of the primary growth drivers for the other EMDE. However, the impacts of those common shocks ...

Climate change has quickly become one of the most pressing challenges of our society. Financial actors could play a key role in supporting and fostering a shift towards a low-carbon economy. In this context, central banks could have a primary function in both tackling climate-related risks and the ones related to the transition and, potentially, proactively redirecting resources towards green initiatives. Central banks are indeed exploring how different types of climate-related risk ...

The 2021 German federal election brought about a historic reshuffle of the political parties’ hierarchy in Europe’s biggest economy. The Social Democratic Party are back in control of the Chancellery for the first time since 2005, as part of a three-party coalition at the federal level with the Greens and the Liberals, a first in Germany’s post-war history. Now, the federal government has turned its gaze towards its founding mission: more progress. The first 100 days of the three-pa ...

Known for being a climate change hotspot, Morocco is at the forefront of a climate disaster. Consequences are already being felt, whether in the form of increasing temperature or a downward trend in precipitations, which directly threaten the water security and, by extension, the social-ecological systems of the country. The systems by which food, energy, and water are produced, distributed, and consumed heavily depend on one another. Their implicit feedbacks and links are not linea ...

Si les liens existant entre l’exportation de matières premières et l’industrialisation sont étudiés depuis longtemps, l’entrée résolue de l’économie mondiale dans l’ère de la transition environnementale et numérique leur offre une dimension toute particulière. L’évidence de la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique par la décarbonation de notre monde ne saurait, en effet, faire oublier toute la complexité de la stratégie à adopter pour y parvenir. Il s’agit, pour l ...

Energy markets have experienced significant disruptions since the outbreak of COVID-19. In late 2021, soaring natural gas prices triggered a new crisis, leading to risks of energy supply shortages worldwide and propelling the issue of energy security to the forefront. Africa will not be spared the repercussions of this crisis, which could further increase energy inequality, which is in turn linked to other forms of inequality. Indeed, in a context of persistent inflation, the lack o ...

“This opinion was prepared within the framework of the Jean Monnet Atlantic Network 2.0. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.”   As part of the lengthy fight against climate change, the European Union (EU) has introduced a Border Car ...

Addressing the increasing demands for water, energy, and food requires a coherent methodology to ensure that  societies have access to them and that conflict over them is avoided. For example, agriculture and food production  require water and energy; energy production also requires water and, in some instances, agricultural products.  Water distribution and treatment can be very energy intensive. Therefore, the benefits of approaching the Water- Energy-Food (WEF) nex ...

 Accelerating the transition toward low or net-zero carbon emissions is necessary to keep global warming at theoretically safe levels. That will likely bring price shocks associated with rising metal prices, energy costs, and carbon taxes – what has been called “greenflation”. Greening the economy will also require public spending and redistributive policies. ...

Si le recours aux énergies renouvelables ne peut que croître, doit-on symétriquement considérer que le gaz naturel est, à l’instar du pétrole et du charbon, une énergie du passé ? Cette question simple en apparence, appelant une réponse tranchée et nécessairement positive au regard de l’impératif climatique, de la nécessité de décarboner nos économies, mais également des engagements politiques pris dans ce sens par de nombreuses nations. Le bien-fondé environnemental de ce raisonnem ...

Après avoir connu plusieurs années difficiles marquées par une abondance de stocks et des surcapacités, l’aluminium a vu ses cours flamber sur les dix premiers mois de 2021, et ce malgré une inflexion récente. Au-delà de la reprise de la demande mondiale dans un contexte post-Covid-19, c’est la contraction de l’offre de la Chine, premier producteur mondial, qui expliquait cette dynamique haussière, alors que nombre de métaux de base tendaient à voir leurs prix fléchir depuis l’été. ...

 Lors de la COP 26, il est probable que l'on accorde plus d'attention aux grands émetteurs comme la Chine et les États-Unis qu'à la situation des petits pays en développement, pourtant plus exposés aux conséquences du changement climatique. Le Maroc fait partie de cette catégorie. Ce Policy Brief examine les objectifs d'atténuation du Maroc dans le cadre de ses CDN et ses performances à ce jour avant de s'intéresser aux mesures nécessaires pour atteindre l'objectif à moyen term ...

 As COP 26 unfolds, more attention is likely to be paid to big emitters such as China and the United States than to the situation of small developing countries, even though they are more exposed to the consequences of climate change. Morocco falls into this category. This Policy Brief examines Morocco's mitigation objectives under its NDCs and its performance to date before exploring the needed measures to achieve the 2030 mid- term goal. Although Morocco has made significant p ...

This article was initially published on globaldev.blog in English, French and Spanish. How can the world achieve higher levels of decarbonization without compromising economic development? This column explores the case of Morocco, a developing country committed to contributing to the global effort against climate change. Assessment of possible decarbonization pathways suggests that particular attention should be paid to expanded penetration of renewabl ...

How close are we to the apocalypse, human culture, democracy, wisdom, thrown back in time and reduced to the mind of Neanderthals? Remember them, 40 000 years ago? Or back to the days of the dinosaurs, 233 million years gone by, yet unforgotten, thanks to Hollywood. Gone are the mammoths, the cave men, the pest and cholera and wars, which lasted 30 years. Compared with the devastation of the “black death”, a bubonic plague pandemic (1347 to 1353), which caused the death of up ...

Quelques jours avant le début de la COP 26 à Glasgow, en Ecosse, la Commission africaine de l’énergie (AFREC) (a) a voulu souligner que le gaz naturel pouvait jouer un rôle important dans le paysage énergétique africain. Le 25 octobre, l’AFREC a publié un communiqué de presse pour mettre en valeur une ‘’note d’orientation politique sur l’énergie’’ qui avait été achevée en juillet 2021. Le changement climatique est largement causé par la production et la consommation massive des éne ...

Catastrophic Consequences Increasing wildfires, a sign of climate change, are reducing forests to ashes. This year alone, 43 billion metric tons of CO2 will be emitted into the atmosphere from forest fires. The world lost about 10 million hectares of forests per year between 2015 and 2020, according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), in its 2021 report Ecosystem Restoration for people, nature and climate. Each year an average of 122 million hectares of forests are af ...

Minus 50 degrees Celsius is a challenge for human beings who were not raised in the Arctic, becoming familiar with polar bears and dog sleds. Plus 50 degrees Celsius is part of a nomadic reality, of survival in the desert, short of water and shadow, but rich in stars above and vicious vipers in the sand. Eskimos, known as Inuit and Yupik, and Bedouins and Tuaregs, indigenous people, survive by trusting instinct and their embrace of nature, strengthened throughout childhood by cod li ...

Fruit d’une collaboration étroite entre CyclOpe et le Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), le rapport Arcadia – pour Annual Report on Commodity Analytics and Dynamics In Africa – se fonde sur une réalité bien connue : les matières premières fa- çonnent et façonneront une large part de la physionomie des économies africaines et doivent, en raison de cette dimension stratégique, faire l’objet d’analyses dédiées. À cet égard, ce rapport est probablement unique. Il offre en effet un ...

The European Commission recently presented several legislative proposals as part of its “Fit for 55” initiative, designed to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. A Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has been proposed as part of this initiative. The CBAM would be complementary to the EU’s Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), involving CBAM certificates issued to importers based on the integrated emissions intensity of the produc ...

Africa is often overlooked in international policy conversations about climate change, but the continent has not been spared extreme weather events. On the eve of COP26, in Glasgow, United Kingdom, in October 2021, and as the African Union formulates a climate strategy for the continent, it is worth recalling how global warming is affecting different parts of Africa and how the continent fits into policy conversations on climate change. ...

In order to close the financing gap in green technologies, finding new mechanisms to enhance the participation of the private sector, combined with that of the public sector, in financing sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure is a must. In this context, some unlisted instruments are going to be needed to enhance financing of green infrastructure. Besides, the development of properly structured projects, with risks and returns in line with the preferences of the different ...

The report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released at the beginning of August, left no room for doubt. According to its estimates, it will be necessary to accelerate the pace of global containment of carbon emissions if the expected increases in global average temperatures are to be kept below 2 or 1.5 degrees Celsius, with correspondingly less-dramatic climatic consequences. Even if emissions of greenhouse gases are reduced over the next few ...

L’Union européenne (UE) a annoncé le 14 juillet une proposition de taxe carbone à ses frontières, qui devrait renchérir les importations de produits fortement émetteurs (acier, aluminium, ciment, électricité et engrais). Cette même taxe est déjà appliquée au sein de l’UE, qui veut désormais l’imposer aux fabricants étrangers. En soi, le projet part d’une bonne intention. Il n’est pas motivé par le protectionnisme, mais par des préoccupations climatiques on ne peut plus justiíées. S ...

Il est bien connu que le poids de l’Afrique sur la scène énergétique mondiale est faible, ce qui est le reflet de son poids économique. En 2020, en termes de consommation, la part de l’Afrique dans le total mondial ne dépassait pas 3% à 4%. De plus, cette part n’a que très peu augmenté au cours des dix dernières années. L’an dernier, l’Afrique ne représentait que 3,3% de la consommation mondiale d’énergie primaire (pétrole, gaz naturel, charbon, énergie nucléaire, hydroélectricité ...

As decarbonization is a long-term process and requires significant investments, specific financial and non- financial measures will need to be implemented, both in the short and long term, to facilitate this transition. In Part II of Morocco’s decarbonization pathway Policy Brief series, an update of the decarbonization scenarios was presented. It revealed that the Increased Ambition and Green Development scenarios achieve higher decarbonization targets than current policy. It showe ...

La décarbonisation est un processus à long terme qui nécessite des investissements importants. Ainsi, des mesures financières et non financières spécifiques devront être mises en œuvre, à la fois à court et à long termes, pour faciliter cette transition. Dans la deuxième partie de la série de Policy Briefs sur la trajectoire de décarbonisation du Maroc, une mise à jour des scénarios de décarbonisation a été présentée. Elle révèle que les scénarios « Ambition accélérée » et « Dévelop ...

Morocco's significant renewable energy resources offer an unprecedented opportunity to anchor the country’s economic and political choices in the energy transition, and to turn the transition into an essential lever for economic development. This is all the more relevant as the costs of renewable energies have dropped over the past 10 years2, and now offer strong potential, not only for creating green jobs but for ensuring a dynamic and resilient economic growth as well. In 2020, ne ...

Les importantes ressources en énergies renouvelables du Maroc offrent une opportunité sans précédent d’ancrer les choix économiques et politiques du pays dans la transition énergétique, et de faire de cette transition un levier essentiel du développement économique. Ceci est d’autant plus important que le coût des énergies renouvelables a baissé au cours des 10 dernières années2 et présente désormais un fort potentiel, non seulement de création d’emplois verts mais aussi de croissan ...

Les conséquences du changement climatique sont de plus en plus visibles au Maroc. Le schéma changeant des précipitations et de la sécheresse, l'augmentation des températures moyennes et des canicules, les inondations et l'augmentation du niveau de la mer affectent de plus en plus de nombreuses régions. Et pourtant, le taux d'émission de gaz à effet de serre (GES) du Maroc est relativement faible, comparé à celui d'autres pays. En 20162, les émissions totales de GES du Maroc ont atte ...

The consequences of climate change are becoming progressively more visible in Morocco. Changes in rainfall patterns and drought, increases in average temperatures and heatwaves, flooding, and rising sea levels are increasingly affecting several regions. Yet, Morocco has a relatively low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission rate, compared to other countries. In 20162, Morocco’s total GHG emissions reached 86127.7 gigagram of carbon dioxide equivalent (Gg CO2-eq), totaling around 0.2% of glo ...

The world faces a huge shortfall of infrastructure investment relative to its needs. With a few exceptions, such as China, this shortfall is greatest in emerging and developing countries. The G20 Infrastructure Investors Dialogue estimated the volume of global infrastructure investment needed by 2040 to be $81 trillion, $53 trillion of which will be needed in non-advanced countries. The Dialogue projected a gap—in other words, a shortfall in relation to the investment needs foresee ...

Lors de la Conférence des Parties à la Convention-cadre des Nations unies sur les changements climatiques (CCNUCC) qui s'est tenue à Paris en 2015, les gouvernements se sont engagés à limiter l'augmentation de la température mondiale à un niveau bien inférieur à 2°C par rapport aux niveaux préindustriels. Ils se sont également engagés à atteindre, dès que possible, un pic de leurs émissions et à parvenir à la neutralité carbone au cours de la seconde moitié du siècle. Pour autant, m ...

During the 2015 Paris Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), governments pledged to limit the global temperature increase to well below 2°C above pre- industrial levels, to peak emissions as soon as possible, and to achieve carbon neutrality in the second half of the century. Yet, even assuming full implementation of the commitments made by governments in Paris, the global concentration of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions will ...

In an effort to spur economic growth, industrial parks were created to combine industrial activities with infrastructure, service, and commercial activities. These parks involve a collection of businesses, utilizing a combination of heavy and light manufacturing, that are located in a dedicated zone for industrial use to boost efficiency, minimize operational costs, and maximize output. Though industrial parks can contribute to economic growth and social development in a region, the ...

With a population of approximately 200 million, Nigeria accounts for about half of West Africa's population and has one of the largest concentrations of young people in the world. Endowed with abundant natural resources, Nigeria is one of Africa's largest oil exporters, with an estimated 37 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, the majority of which are found in the Niger River Delta and offshore in the Bight of Benin, the Gulf of Guinea and the Bight of Bonny. Nigeria also ...

Depuis la découverte des ressources pétrolières du Nigeria en 1956, le secteur pétrolier a progressivement revêtu une importance considérable, jusqu'à devenir le principal moteur de l'économie du pays : le pétrole brut est le premier poste d'exportations (figure 1) ainsi que le principal pourvoyeur en réserves de devises et de recettes fiscales pour le gouvernement fédéral nigérian (figure 2). Cependant, malgré son importance, le secteur pétrolier n'a pas élargi la base productive d ...

The pandemic is accelerating history, in the sense that it is leading to the speeding up of some recent trends. In the case of globalization, the pandemic will not reverse it, but it will reshape it. Here we take a bird’s eye view of global trade during the pandemic, relate it to previous trends, and guess how global value chain managers and government trade policymakers are likely to react. A Bird’s Eye View of Global Trade during the Pandemic World trade took a deep dive during ...

Our Senior Fellow Rabi Mohtar has co-authored with our economist, Fatima Ezzahra Mengoub along other researchers a research paper entitled « A Water-Energy-Food Nexus approach for conducting trade-off analysis: Morocco’s phosphate industry in the Khouribga region » in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Journal (Volume 24, Issue 10). The study objective was to develop and use the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Phosphate (WEF-P) Tool to evaluate the impact of Morocco’s phos ...

Profondément préoccupée par les niveaux alarmants de propagation et de sévérité du Coronavirus, l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS) annonce, le 11 mars 2020, que la Covid-19 a atteint le niveau de pandémie. Pour contenir la propagation du virus, la vie sociale et économique est pratiquement paralysée : Selon l’Agence internationale de l’Energie (AIE), environ un tiers de la population mondiale a fait l'objet de confinement complet ou partiel entre février et la mi-mai, et ...

The energy sector has undergone major transitions from the use of wood as a dominant fuel to the adoption of coal and, more recently, oil. In the 21st century gas has grown faster than any other fossil fuel and today renewable energy is growing even faster. The changes, combined with volatile energy prices and occasional shocks, create complex scenarios for the future of the energy sector. This has numerous implications, not only for the socio-economic development of NATO’s southern ...

La finance verte est un champ en plein développement depuis l’accord de Paris, qui se situe à la croisée d’enjeux financiers, socioéconomiques et environnementaux. Elle est de nature hybride : opérant avec des outils financiers, elle se concentre sur les questions environnementales, tout en appartenant au champ plus large de la finance dite « durable », qui adopte une approche élargie avec l’inclusion d’enjeux socioéconomiques et de gouvernance. Elle possède une capacité catalytique ...

Green finance has been a burgeoning sector since the Paris Agreement and is at the crossroads of financial, socio-economic and environmental challenges. It is hybrid in nature: it uses financial instruments and focuses on environmental issues, while coming under the wider field of so-called “sustainable” finance that assumes a broader approach with the inclusion of socio-economic and governance challenges. It is a catalyst as it facilitates and accelerates the transition to a low-ca ...

The sobering historical moment we are living through presents a chance to reflect and to renew our resolve to take action to save lives, improve livelihoods, and build resilience. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused the loss of half a million lives and counting, according to the United Nations, and adversely affected the livelihoods of hundreds of millions more, resulting in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, according to the International Mo ...

“NEVER LET A SERIOUS CRISIS GO TO WASTE” President Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel (2008) after Sir Winston Churchill (mid-1940s) COVID-19 is a serious crisis but it presents several opportunities. The COVID epidemic is having a dramatic impact on the global economy (triggering the worst recessions since the Second World War), the health of the world population and the well-being and freedom of individuals. It is also sparking changes that may have beneficial economic, soc ...

For Africa, this new decade began full of promise to achieve the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals and on its way to realising the goals and priorities of Agenda 2063. With the entry of the intra-African trade from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, which comes into effect on July 1st 2020, an estimated combined gross domestic product (GDP) of more than US$3.4 trillion expected to trickle in the Continent. This revenue e ...

Digital technological innovation, combined with new financing approaches, can make a significant contribution in the field of access to energy. This is the case in Kenya, where payas- you-go solutions, combined with solar home systems and an extensive mobile network, have enabled thousands of Kenyans to access clean and affordable off-grid electricity. This policy paper identifies the drivers of the development of pay-as-you-go solutions in off-grid systems in Kenya, assesses their ...

The Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) believes in filling in the generational and perception gaps, and this can only be achieved when the younger generations of leaders and professionals are given a seat at the table, to challenge the established perspectives and forward the conversations. The PCNS supports youth as the leaders of today and has faith in their capacity to inflict change in the present. It also believes in: intergenerational dialogue and co-leadership; youth as a ...

The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving into an unprecedented international crisis, with serious consequences for human health and economic activity. While it is still too early to accurately determine the magnitude and persistence of the economic impact of the pandemic, a short-term assessment can be made. This short opinion focuses on the implications for energy markets. The rapid decline in crude oil prices has raised concerns on both the demand and supply sides, making the outlook for ...

Le Royaume du Maroc, dépourvu de pétrole et de gaz, s'est tourné, dès 1960, vers les énergies renouvelables, privilégiant alors l'hydroélectricité et la construction de barrages. Pour autant, l'essentiel des centrales électriques du pays était et demeure alimenté en gazole ou en gaz, impactant lourdement sa balance des paiements. Depuis, la demande d'électricité n'a cessé de croitre, d'une part, du fait du développement du pays et, d'autre part, suite au recours à des désalinisateur ...

The Kingdom of Morocco, which has no oil and gas, has shifted to renewable energy as early as 1960, giving priority to hydroelectricity and the construction of dams. However, most of the country’s power plants were and remain powered by diesel or gas, which has a heavy impact on its balance payments. Since then, the demand for electricity has continued to grow due to the country’s development on the one hand and, as a result of the use of desalination facilities on the other hand, w ...