Environmental Sustainability and Autocratic Governance in Morocco

27 March 2026

The Emerald Kingdom

Katharina Nicolai is our Bucerius Alumna and a research associate at the Chair of Politics and Society of the Middle East at the Friedrich- Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg. She specializes in comparative politics in the Maghreb, with a particular focus on authoritarian power and political ecology trajectories in North Africa.

Her book examines the foundations of Morocco’s approach to green energy and environmental sustainability politics and, through the approach of autocracy research, offers a new perspective on the country’s environmental turn during the reign of King Mohammed VI.

International accolades have rained on the Moroccan regime for its transition toward green energy and environmental sustainability politics. Green mega projects, such as the Noor Ouarzazate solar plants and Morocco’s vast wind farms, contributed considerably to its reputation as a modern green kingdom. Within the nascent field of political ecology of the MENA region, the book examines the correlation between environmental sustainability politics and autocratic power. It proposes that the Moroccan regime strategically instrumentalizes this policy field to bolster regime resilience through legitimation strategies directed both at domestic and foreign audiences, as well as cooptive practices aimed at generating support among national as well as foreign elites. Inevitably, the book returns to the Western Sahara conflict and the role environmental sustainability politics play in Morocco’s attempt at its annexation.

This book is perfect for undergraduates, postgraduates, and scholars alike. It speaks to a broad academic readership interested in modern Morocco and the Maghreb, as well as political and environmental studies.

The Open Access version of this book, available at LINK