The Moroccan government is aggressively promoting tourism in Western Sahara, a disputed territory it controls, as part of a broader strategy to consolidate its grip and boost the local economy. New direct flights from Casablanca to Dakhla, investment in beach resorts, and tax incentives for hoteliers are all designed to draw visitors to this remote Atlantic coastline. But human rights groups and UN officials accuse Rabat of using tourism as a smokescreen for ongoing repression of the Sahrawi people, including surveillance, arbitrary detention, and suppression of pro-independence activism.
For climate scientists like myself, this region holds another significance. Western Sahara is one of the world’s most solar-rich areas, with direct normal irradiation exceeding 2,500 kWh per square metre per year. Morocco has already built the Noor Ouarzazate solar complex, but plans for massive solar farms in Western Sahara remain stalled due to the political dispute. The contradiction is stark: the territory’s renewable energy potential could power millions of homes and help wean the world off fossil fuels, yet political instability blocks development.
The tourism push is also ecologically fraught. The coastline hosts fragile ecosystems, including critical nesting sites for loggerhead turtles and the endangered Mediterranean monk seal. Increased hotel construction, desalination plants, and waste runoff threaten these habitats. Meanwhile, the Sahrawi population, many living in refugee camps in Algeria, see little benefit from the tourism boom. They face restricted movement, land confiscation, and a legal system that criminalises peaceful expression of their culture and identity.
The United Nations’ failure to resolve the conflict has allowed Morocco to entrench its control. Energy companies hesitate to invest, despite the solar potential, for fear of legal challenges or international opprobrium. For the world’s climate goals, this is a missed opportunity. But for the Sahrawi, the cost is far more direct. As I report, the sand shifts under the feet of all parties, but the desert remains indifferent.
