Title of the Term Paper: The Role of the State and Social Movements in Shaping the Energy Transition in Morocco

As I write this, Morocco’s Generation Z is once again taking to the streets, demanding basic rights; dignity, health, education, employment. The images of police repression reflect earlier moments in modern Moroccan history, recalling the 2011 protests and the broader wave of the Arab Spring. Social movements have played a defining role in Morocco’s political evolution, but today they also intersect with another critical arena: corruption and the struggle over the country’s energy transition. Morocco was once celebrated internationally as a regional climate leader (especially since COP 22) ; its green transition reveals deeper social and political tensions. This study examines how state policies, political discourses, and social popular mobilizations interact in shaping Morocco’s renewable energy agenda and extractive industries. Drawing on theories of political ecology and energy justice, it explores how megaprojects in solar, wind and mining sectors reproduce historical patterns of dispossession while generating new forms of resistance. By tracing narratives from state institutions, civil society, and local and indigenous communities, the research highlights both the contradictions and the transformative potential of Morocco’s energy transition. Ultimately, it argues that a just and democratic transition must go beyond decarbonization; repoliticizing participation, recognizing indigenous governance, and confronting continuous social and territorial inequalities of power and knowledge.