Greenpeace International, known as Greenpeace, has confirmed that “Morocco is among the African countries with moderate rates of air pollution, by comparing it with the rest of the continent’s countries, especially the north and south.”
Greenpeace explained, in a report prepared in cooperation with its branch in North Africa, that “53 percent of air pollution in the Kingdom is caused by waste from the industrial sector, while dust contributes about 35 percent, while traffic contributes to pollution by 13 percent.” “.
The same source confirmed that “the Kingdom is among the most prominent countries that set standards for air quality on the level of the African continent, while many countries do not set these standards, including Egypt, as the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development conducts an annual inventory of the percentage of emissions at the air level, which is “What is not available in other countries in the region, which also enables us to provide a clear picture of the air situation in the country.”
Despite this, the organization alerted to “air pollution in the city of Kenitra,” noting that “residents usually associate flying black dust with an industrial plant located in the city,” explaining that “the results it reached after field research led to that the aforementioned dust results from the combustion of Heavy fuel.
She also pointed out that “sulfur oxide emissions decreased by rates ranging between 19 and 67 percent, especially those resulting from two power plants in Safi and Jorf Lasfar, at a time when improving air quality indicators could lead to a year’s gain as an increase in the life index compared to between 1.3 and 2.9 years on the continent.”
In the same context, the same source stressed that “families do not have the same amount of access to clean, renewable energy for cooking, as the government must encourage clean cooking solutions, given that access to clean, low-cost electricity will enable reducing dependence on fossil fuels and steel.” “.
At the continental level, the organization’s report, entitled “Unmasking the Major Causers of Air Pollution on the African Continent,” revealed that South Africa “is considered the most air-polluting country, as it contains 9 of the 10 largest thermal oil stations on the global level, while the contribution rate is high.” In pollution in the city of Pretoria specifically.”
He also pointed out that “South Africa is at the forefront in nitrogen oxide emissions, as the percentage of these emissions remains remarkably high in the city of Pretoria, which has industrial areas, which is greatly highlighted by the maps provided by satellites.”
The source stressed that “exposure to air pollution remains the second largest risk factor causing death on the African continent. This pollution comes mainly from natural sources and others related to human activity, including the burning of solid and fossil fuels, industrial activity, transportation and communications, in addition to the burning of waste and forest fires.” .
This report comes a few weeks after the Moroccan government approved amendments to the governance standards of the air quality monitoring and monitoring network in the country, as it approved draft Decree No. 2.23.244 amending and supplementing Decree No. 2.09.286 issued on December 8, 2009, which enabled it to become The authority charged with tracking and guarding air quality in Morocco, instead of the National Committee and the permanent committees.
The aforementioned draft decree requires adding some definitions related to suspended particles “PM10” and “PM2.5” emitted from motor vehicles and some factories that would harm the environment, a measure that was praised by a number of those interested in the environmental field.