Earth Day 2023: Prioritizing Climate Change Mitigation Strategies

On this Earth Day–occurring last Saturday–it was abundantly clear that the world faces a progressively egregious threat from the impacts of inaction on climate change.
While Morocco has proven to be an exceptional leader in green initiatives on both a continental and international scale (i.e., sustainable development, alternative energy sources, preservation of natural habitats, and reduction of hazardous waste, etc.), it needs allies–and powerful allies, at that–who will commit to redefining the concept of wealth, argues Giulano Martiniello, Professor of Political Science and Political Economy at the International University of Rabat (UIR).
Martiniello–who has also taught at the American University of Beirut–notes that its definition thus far has been largely subjective, containing the narrative of industrialized countries and therefore reflective of the imposition of their own values and priorities.
In emphasizing the need for a reduction in carbon emissions through a shift in the model of production, he and other noted scholars suggest the commodification of carbon dioxide to reflect the true cost of its impact. For example, on paper, a country might report an annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6%, but after environmental costs should speak to accuracy and revise it to 1%.
Of course, industrialized nations in particular can be expected to largely reject this paradigm in their jingoistic quest to spin out positive economic news.
Society will indeed reap the benefits of efficient green technology in the long run. Additionally, though, taxing capital that pollutes excessively will be necessary in order to calculate the true cost of environmental degradation.
As corporate entities will not police themselves, and as incentivization through United Nations-type debt forgiveness programs have proven only modestly effective–especially in light of far-right-wing fear-mongering and propaganda targeting the alleged threat of “globalization” which have helped to de-legitimize the U.N., anyway–some form of forced corporate accountability is imperative.
Morocco faces a unique type of pressure–it clearly is in its best interest to continue along with its admirable environmental initiatives; however, as it is an ally of the U.S. and of other NATO nations, it must play along with the energy policies of its more powerful partners who invest in its natural resources.
Specifically, argues Martiniello, these investments come along with contingencies for Morocco which invariably involve catering not only to the economic–but also foreign policy strategies–of its investors in their quest to secure strategic advantages over rivals.
International conflicts are occurring with increasing frequency as we approach the second quarter of the twenty-first century. Land degradation and lack of accessible resources emanating from these conflicts have resulted in food insecurity, resulting in additional challenges.
Further complicating matters is the need for nations such as Morocco to diversify its agricultural portfolio. Take, for example, its recent boon in avocado yields. Though lucrative, it clearly comes at a cost that must be reflected in the true price, as it requires far more water than other crops in a country where the water supply is already scarce. This epitomizes the “Catch-22” of switching to crops which produce a larger yield in capital, in that they invariably necessitate more resources in production.
Morocco is obviously part of a large political/economic complex that must balance its own interests with those of its investors. Clearly, it will benefit from clean energy itself, from the export of this associated technology, and from the jobs which it creates domestically. However, entangling political alliances in the region and in the world as a whole will complicate how, when, and to what extent the benefits will come to fruition, as Foreign Direct Investments (FDI’s) are dictated by a quid pro quo system and invariably affect sovereignty.
Certainly, the stage of capitalism to which we have “progressed” as a society–monopoly capitalism–glorifies the mantra of immediate economic gratification, which is obviously antithetical by nature to the concept of responsible environmental stewardship. Can we devise a coherent, large-scale plan on a global basis which efficiently addresses this stewardship and creates a more equitable distribution of wealth, while simultaneously maintaining political stability in our ever-increasingly interdependent world?
At the crux of the matter is that consumer prices will need to absorb and reflect the true cost of environmental degradation. When–or if–this is accomplished through increased government oversight which addresses the obscene disparity in wealth among class structures in the world today…remains to be seen.