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From Milan to Glasgow, young Moroccans commit to fighting climate change |


Behind all these initiatives, are the young men and women in “From Milan to Glasgow: Prominent Moroccan Youth Leaders“, a new campaign launched is equal to Team United Nations in Morocco to empower young people to take climate action and reduce the harmful carbon emissions that are dangerously warming the planet.

For the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Morocco, Sylvia Lopez-Ekra, the new campaign is a “bet on the importance of working with Moroccan youth already invested in climate issues.” .

Balance limit

One of the prominent activists is Manal Bidar, an 18-year-old from the city of Agadir, who believes that “It is young people who can shift the balance to the right in the fight against climate change. “

She first got involved in climate and environmental activism at the age of 13, when she joined a group of friends from a local club to clean up a beach.


A portrait of Hasnae Bakhouch

A portrait of Hasnae Bakhouch, by © Hasnae Bakhouch.

She is currently an ambassador for the Africa Youth Climate Center, a platform that brings together activists from the continent, and serves as an advisor to the Global Center for Adaptation (GCA), a non-profit organization. international organization dedicated to promoting climate resilience around the world.

‘The battle of our lives’

Like Ms. Bidar, Hasnae Bakhchouch, a 22-year-old student from Rabat, is taking action to tackle the impact of climate change.

“With its negative impacts on biodiversity and the health of living beings, climate change endangers society and can cause conflicts over access to natural resources,” she said. “.

Ms. Bakhchouch is the National Coordinator of the Moroccan Youth Delegation to United Nations Youth Conference on Climate, to be held in September 2021 in Milan, Italy.

She explained that the goal was to draft recommendations for the 26th UN climate change conference (COP26), held in Glasgow, Scotland, a few months later.

The conference ended with a “compromise” agreement, which the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, simply said “insufficient“.

At that time, the head of the United Nations encouraged young people and everyone in the lead, keep fighting.

“We are in the battle of our lives, and this war must be won,” he said.

From coffee to bricks

While enjoying a cup of coffee one day, Hamza Laalej, a 23-year-old Moroccan student from Meknes, asked himself if there was a way to recycle the bulk of the final coffee grounds in trash every day.

Months later, Mr. Laalej turned his idea into a viable green business where one of the main products is an eco-friendly brick made with a mixture of coffee grounds and ordinary clay.

“Inspired by the Moroccan tradition of craftsmanship, the production of these bricks is based on [using less] He explains: heating, thus helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Since then, he has teamed up with Nour El Houda Ben Khoudja, 23, of Morocco, to set up a company that collects, sorts and turns coffee grounds into building materials and decorative products.

“You don’t have to wait for the perfect time to start [a green business]. Those are the obstacles you face on your way to making entrepreneurial creation an inspiring and productive adventure,” he said.

Green businessman

A roundtable held last November, during the launch of this UN campaign, saw other young people present their green startups.

For example, Oussama Nour and Mohamed Taha El Ouaryachi introduced WAVEBEAT, a company whose goal is to generate electricity from ocean waves.


Oussama Nour, President and Mohamed Taha El Ouaryachi, General Manager of WAVEBEA in Morocco

© UN Morocco

Oussama Nour, President and Mohamed Taha El Ouaryachi, General Manager of WAVEBEA in Morocco

Oussama Nour, President and Mohamed Taha El Ouaryachi, General Manager of WAVEBEA in Morocco, by © UN Morocco

The goal is to provide companies operating in the Moroccan port of Tangier Med with a renewable alternative to meet their energy needs.

Younes Ouazri presented an eco- and energy-efficient construction method for constructing houses, including seasonal houses and resorts, using locally sourced materials.

Hicham Zouaoui and Otman Harrak talked about their carpooling app, which currently allows around 400,000 Moroccans to travel around the Kingdom, helping to save on transportation costs and reduce CO2 emissions.

For his part, Seifeddin Laalej heads a startup that recycles plastic waste to produce building materials, which he sells across the country.

“It is important for young people to believe in their potential and launch their own projects based on their skills and professional networks,” he said.

An important player

According to the United Nations Resident Coordinator, “Thanks to climate policy over the years, Morocco has become a leader in climate action initiatives.. ”

Through an ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction program and natural resource conservation strategies, Morocco intends to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45.5% by 2030 and achieve a 52% share of renewable energy. generated in its energy mix in the same year.

The country is currently one of the few countries with a country-determined contribution (NDC) level that aligns with The global target is 1.5°C.



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