Aware of the emergence of a collective environmental consciousness, the Doukkala Association plans to make the province of El Jadida a model to follow and a pole of attraction in terms of environmental protection at the national, or even international, level. But the central objective of this week on the environment is to raise awareness among the population of Doukkala, and in particular young people, of the importance of environmental issues so that they participate, as citizens, in the preservation and development of their region. This great event, placed under the theme "Renewable energies and sustainable development in Morocco and in the Doukkala region", is part of the celebration of World Environment Day (5 June), which was established by the United Nations in 1972 to stimulate political action in the field of the environment and encourage people from all corners of the planet to play an active role in sustainable and equitable development. During the inaugural session of this great event, the Governor of the province of El Jadida, Mouâd El Jamaï, declared that faced with the growth of national energy demand, which should triple by 2030, the national energy strategy provides for several projects and reforms to rationalise energy use through two major solar and wind energy projects aiming for a total installed capacity of 4,000 MW by 2020. And, in accordance with the High Royal Orientations, Morocco was thus one of the first countries on the continent to engage in a strategy to promote renewable energies, particularly solar and wind, which will allow it to diversify its energy sources with the ultimate goal of freeing itself from dependence on conventional energy sources. Thus, our country has an ambitious strategy for the development of clean and renewable energies. This strategy aims to expand the use of renewable and clean energies and to promote scientific research in the field. This new strategy, which is part of the global and integrated vision of sustainable development, plans to build a diversified, balanced energy mix where renewable energies occupy a place of choice to both satisfy the strongly growing national energy demand and preserve the environment. As for the President of the Doukkala Association, Abdelkrim Bencherki, he affirmed that under the impetus of HM King Mohammed VI, the Kingdom was focusing on renewable energies to limit its dependence on oil imports. Morocco will have to finance 13.4 billion euros to strengthen its electricity production capacities, of which nearly 10 billion will be devoted solely to renewable energies. This ambitious programme will span ten years. A gigantic solar energy project capable of producing 2,000 megawatts will cost about 7 billion euros on its own. Morocco will also undertake a 1,500-megawatt wind programme, for an investment of 1.5 billion euros. Thanks to this strategy, the Kingdom hopes to be able to cover, by 2020, 42% of its needs through renewable energies, whereas it currently imports 95% of its needs. Oil still represents, on its own, 61% of energy consumption, even if this figure is falling year by year. Thus, the main renewable energies currently used are solar energy, hydroelectric energy, wind energy, biomass, and geothermal energy. And as is the case during each edition, numerous scientific, cultural, pedagogical, media, sports, artistic, and awareness-raising activities have been planned throughout this week open to the general public, with the animation and participation of several personalities, experts, artists, athletes, etc. Sports, animation, and awareness-raising events have been set up at the El Jadida beach for the benefit of the public of all ages, on the eve of the opening of the summer season. Songs, poetry, plays, music, and various competitions were organised, crowned by ceremonies for the presentation of prizes and trophies and the distribution of t-shirts and caps bearing awareness messages, without forgetting sports competitions (beach football, fitness, aerobics, judo, martial arts...). Similarly, drawing competitions on the theme of the environment are organised on the beach for the benefit of volunteer participants. Furthermore, a visit to the Daourat dam and hydroelectric plant was also scheduled in order to understand how electrical energy can be produced from water masses at a dam. As for the closing day, Saturday 22 June, it will be a car-free day.

"The threat posed by climate change is not just global"

"Climate change represents one of the greatest challenges of this century. It is henceforth no longer acceptable for everyone to act as if nothing is happening. The threat posed by climate change is not just global; it is also multidimensional, invisible, unpredictable, and it transcends national borders. We deemed it important to lead a debate on the subject of climate change because climate change is not just an environmental issue, since it is linked to fundamental questions on social, economic, and geopolitical levels. Obviously, through this scientific debate, we want to try to find solutions that could open up the prospects for a more effective regional and national effort."