Green Sacrifice Zones : A qualitative text analysis of energy colonialism in Morocco

Large scale renewable energy projects are often framed as a necessary climate action, yet they often require large amounts of land and are increasingly associated with land acquisition in rural areas in the Global South. This raises questions of sovereignty, power and colonial continuities in the energy transition. This thesis examines how international institutions rationalise large scale land acquisition. The thesis specifically analyses how the World Bank constructs land and local communities in its project documents related to the Noor Solar Power Project in Morocco. The study is based on a qualitative text analysis with a discourse-analytical focus. The thesis draws on energy colonialism as a theoretical framework, focusing on how language constructs land, value and knowledge. The results show that land is constructed as empty and unused, opening it up to the green market. Empty land is made valuable through export potential. The project is framed as a moral necessity as well as a solution to the climate crisis and to socioeconomic challenges. These constructions marginalise local land use and knowledge systems. The thesis highlights that climate change mitigation is not politically neutral