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- Published: June 27, 2020
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The impact of air pollution on health and the global economy deserves to be measured. In Morocco, air pollution attributed to fossil fuels costs nearly eleven billion dirhams per year.
Each year, a relatively high number of deaths due to air pollution are recorded in Morocco (5,100 in 2018), second after Egypt, which tops the list established by the organization Greenpeace MENA present in more than 55 country.
In Algeria and Tunisia, on the other hand, the number of deaths linked to air pollution is around 3,000 and 2,100 respectively, indicates a report by Greenpeace MENA.
In terms of losses, the report specifies that they are estimated for Morocco at 0.9% of its GDP, or 11 billion dirhams per year, 400 million dollars per year for Tunisia, and 840 million dollars per year for Algeria, ie 0.5% of its GDP.
Regarding the impact on health and the economy, Greenpeace points out that Morocco is affected on two fronts. Nevertheless, the kingdom plays a key role in the fight against the climate crisis and the renewable energy sector. In this area, it aims to produce 52% of its energy from renewable energies by 2030.
On the other hand, the outlook for Morocco is not as bright as regards the coal sector, used as the “main source of electricity production with a high rate reaching around 50%”, underlines the report. According to a study carried out this year by the King Abdullah Center for Petroleum Studies and Research, coal produced 58% of electricity in 2016. It is followed by natural gas with 20% and petroleum with 10%.
This report, whose publication comes at a critical period marked by the coronavirus pandemic, stresses that air pollution makes populations more vulnerable to the latter, being already exposed to all kinds of chronic diseases (heart, diabetes, pulmonary disorders, including lung cancer).
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