Europe wants to become independent from fossil fuels and is feverishly searching for new sources of green energy. This quest is leading not only to wind farms and solar panels within the EU, but also to major investments beyond European borders, such as in North Africa. 

Yet behind the promise of green progress lies a shadow side. How sustainable is an energy policy that depends on countries where human rights are under pressure and that can hardly meet their own energy needs? And how does the local population view the EU’s role? Could this be a new form of neocolonialism? 

To understand the true impact of these policies, it is essential to look beyond diplomacy and listen to the voices of civil society. Ghada Nasri, an assistant professor at the Higher Institute of Technological Studies (ISET) of Tozeur and a member of the Ifriqiya Association, and Salma Benchahid, a political activist with the Moroccan Green Party (PVM), offer a critical perspective on how European ambitions collide with the lived realities of people in Tunisia and Morocco. It’s important to listen to the voices from North African civil society and politics and share their perspective on activism, civil society and EU climate policy. Therefore, we interviewed Ghada Nasri and Salma Benchahid. We discuss their own activism journey, the current civil space in Tunisia and Morocco and their experience of the current EU approach to climate policy, specifically towards renewable energy.  

An introduction  

Ghada Nasri is assistent professor at the Higher Institute of Technological Studies (ISET) of Tozeur, Tunisia and specializes in Hydrogeology and Environment. She is also a member of the Ifriqiya Association, where she teaches training programs for young people, focusing on awareness-raising about climate change and water management, especially in the context of current environmental challenges. 

When I asked her what motivated her to start working on climate issues, she mentioned that it all started with her research. “During my first research, I published a lot of articles about the relationship between climate change and the decrease of groundwater in Tunisia. I tried to bring it more to people’s attention, but nobody ever spoke about climate change even though I could see it happening in our country’’ 

Salma Benchahid is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Political science and European studies, studying across France, Germany, and Poland. She is a climate and political activist and a member of the Moroccan Green Party PVM. 

She is passionate about youth representation and social justice. As a climate and political activist, she is actively involved in the core team for the Youth Green Academy. This initiative aims to establish a strong and structured eco-youth movement within the political party, PVM. 

Her interests in politics and climate action started because of trainings of PVM. “Well, I first attended events organized by the Moroccan Green Party and participated in their trainings and their workshops discussions. And at the same time, I witnessed climate impacts like droughts and floats, especially affecting vulnerable communities. So, I chose political engagement because I wanted to defend social justice. And human rights through a values-based approach without losing my identity as an activist.” 

“ There are a lot of droughts that destroy their lives. And I deliberately say lives because if they don’t have any water to produce their crops, then they don’t have anything to eat. ”

Major Climate Challenges in North Africa.  

Drought and water scarcity are the major climate challenges across North Africa. This has serious consequences for the economy and the more vulnerable people in the countries.   
As Salma explains 

“The biggest challenges I would say are droughts and the desertification that is expanding, particularly in the south, in urban areas. Heat waves and air pollution are becoming more frequent.” 

Ghada describes similar experiences in Tunisia, emphasizing how big of a challenge these droughts are: 

“There are a lot of droughts that destroy their lives. And I deliberately say lives because if they don’t have any water to produce their crops, then they don’t have anything to eat.”  
 
Agriculture is one of Tunisia’s largest employment sectors, and prolonged drought has cascading social effects. When crops fail, families lose income, forcing many children to drop out of school because their parents can no longer afford education. Climate change thus directly undermines food security, livelihoods, and access to necessities like water and education. 

The general conversation in public and the government's actions 

Clearly, there are voices trying to bring attention to climate change in their countries. However, while climate change is increasingly discussed in political and public debates, there remains a significant gap between awareness and implementation. Both Salma and Ghada highlight tensions between civil society expertise and government priorities. 

In Tunisia, climate change is formally acknowledged at the political level, but progress is slow. According to Ghada, civil society organizations regularly submit advocacy papers to ministries, yet these efforts often result in prolonged discussions without concrete action. 
When asked about the current conversation surrounding climate action in Morocco. Salma was a bit more positive. She notes that the country has made tangible progress through renewable energy strategies, particularly in solar and wind power. However, she also stresses that community participation remains insufficient: 
 
“Sometimes policies don't fully reflect lived realities, which is why youth and civil society engagement is essential.” 

Because civil society and involved youth can use their expertise to create real action. In both Tunisia and Morocco, climate action is often framed as a secondary issue. Governments and the public tend to prioritize immediate concerns such as employment, healthcare, and education, without fully recognizing how deeply these issues are interconnected with climate change. 

masen
the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy source: MASEN
africa europe
source: The North African Post

Just energy transition 

As mentioned before, European energy policy has focused on North Africa because of its potential for producing electricity using renewable energies, which in turn can be used to produce green hydrogen. This is already happening in Tunesia. The government aims to produce over 8 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2050. Of which more than 6 million are intended to be sent to Europe.   

This plan is currently being presented as a major opportunity for Tunisia to secure a place in the promising hydrogen market. However, the distribution of benefits reveals deep inequalities. Europe will benefit from this exchange on more than one level, because Europe is also the main producer of the necessary technology (to produce the green hydrogen), such as electrolyser, which are largely manufactured by European companies. Through this control, it is Europe that will produce (and thus benefit from) the added value within the green hydrogen process. 

Tunisia will then only be engaged in exporting raw, unprocessed material. Tunisia provides land, solar energy and water, often at very low cost, while not profiting of the further process, while bearing the ecological and social consequences. This dynamic reflects a broader unjust global division of labour in which the North exports technology and high-value added industrial products, and the South provides raw materials and cheap labour. On top of that, the process of producing green hydrogen also costs a lot of water in a country where water is already scarce. 

When asked what a just transition would require, Ghada responded: “We are not against the energy transition, but we need a just transition. If Tunesia provides green hydrogen and exports it, the negative impact will be felt by the Tunisian people who are also in need of energy but barely receive the energy and the economic benefits.  

Environmental justice as social justice  

For both Ghada and Salma, climate change cannot be separated from broader struggles for social justice and human rights as Salma states:   
 
“Climate change causes migration and affects the most vulnerable, meaning that protecting the environment is inseparable from protecting human rights” 

This connection is particularly visible in Tunisia, where migration is a highly sensitive issue. Migrants often face severe mistreatment, and organizations like Ifriqiya, where Ghada is active, support migrants cautiously to avoid government repression. Publicly sharing such work can attract unwanted scrutiny and even prosecution, reflecting Tunisia’s shrinking civic space.  

Civil society members and journalist who question government policies increasingly face intimidation, effectively tightening the noose around Tunisia’s hard-won civic space. 

In Morocco, Salma observes that there is a bit more room for public critique. This was seen during the Gen Z protest in October.  

SALMA: “The Gen Z protests are very creative, connected and courageous. Young people link issues like job stagnation and climate change together and they know how to use social media in a right way.” 

While these protests initially faced repression, they also prompted a new government promise, with them vowing social reforms. The Gen Z movement remains skeptical of the proposed amount and its implementation. Furthermore, they urge these implementations to be accompanied by firm measures against corruption and conflicts of interest. 

marokkaanse gen z
source: Marketscreeners

Youth Engagement  

Not just in Morocco but globally, it is predominantly young people who are driving climate activism. Both Ghada and Salma focus strongly on youth engagement and education.   

Ifriqiya uses an open access website offering online courses, videos and podcast on organization uses a free website with online courses, videos, and podcasts about ecosystems, food security and water management. The goal is to build awareness and preparedness before crises occur.  

“Because if one day they open their tap and there is no water, what should we do? We need to be a step ahead.”  - Ghada 

Salma uses social media as an educational and civic engagement tool. She tries to simplify complex topics, collaborates with experts to make information accessible, and share opportunities such as training programs and scholarships. As a political science student, she views this as a form of active citizenship.  

Partnership with EU 

Both activists emphasize the importance of international cooperation, particularly through networks such as the Green MENA movement. IFG works in collaboration with the Green MENA movement. Together, we emphasize the importance of transnational collaboration. However, they stress that partnerships with the EU must be based on equality rather than extractive dynamics.  

Partnership should prioritize technology transfer, capacity building, and energy access for local populations, not merely financial investment. For example, in Tunisia, ensuring sufficient energy within Tunisia itself.  

Their core message is clear: “climate change has no borders and addressing it requires global solidarity, but also policies that recognize historical inequalities.” 

 Green industrial strategies must be specified for the needs of the ‘Global South’ economies, moving away from growth centric models toward approaches centered on justice, sovereignty, democracy and ecological balance. Only then can energy transitions become truly just and sustainable.