It’s starting to get hot in the afternoons. There is wisteria blooming all over Rabat, especially along the trellises in the botanical garden, and the cat that lives at the language center had her kittens. Spring is here in full swing. I even saw a turtle walking down the path on my way into the garden.

I’m writing this a week before the end of Ramadan (and posting it almost a month later, oops!). I’m not sure if I am excited or sad that Eid is coming up. While eating publicly during the day and going to cafes will certainly be nice, the spirit of Ramadan in a Muslim country is truly something else. People read the Quran on the tram and bring iftar to people on the streets. Folks stay out late, and it is not odd for people to be out until the early hours of the morning. 

During Ramadan it is difficult to travel in Morocco. I’ve traveled a couple times outside of Morocco, to Spain and to Italy, but within the country it is difficult to go anywhere but the most touristy places. Every time I travel outside of Morocco I think about both the carbon impact of travel, and the difference between my ability to travel and the ability of many Moroccans. 

Challenges with visas and the difficulty of traveling with a weak currency limit how often most Moroccans leave their country. At the same time, there is a well developed rail system connecting every major city in the country, and Morocco is home to Africa’s only high speed rail, al Boraq between Rabat and Tangier.

I only know one person who owns a car. Even taxis tend to be more communal, picking up various riders heading in the same direction. Recently, they recently erected Rabat’s first skyscraper. Every time I mention the tower, people talk about how they are building “Manhattan in Rabat,” or how soon, Rabat will be a Moroccan Dubai. The development is certainly good for the economy, but simultaneously presents environmental challenges, as the wetlands around the Bouregreg are turned into fresh real estate for skyscrapers. 

I think a lot about what it means to be traveling abroad in a country that, while developed, is not developed to the level most western countries are. For Moroccans, for very understandable reasons, the economic impact of building skyscrapers is far more important than environmental consequences. Compared to places like the US, Morocco is barely an emitter; The emissions of a one way flight from Cleveland to Rabat are about the same as Moroccan per capita CO2 emissions. 

At the same time, there must be ways to balance the environment with development. Maybe it is in the choice of where to develop, or what and how to build. Is it better to build new skyscrapers or to improve on existing structures and rebuild in empty lots in existing neighborhoods? I understand the importance of centering environmental issues, and at the same time I see how crucial development is to the economy and standard of living here. There are certainly many questions I do not have the answers to, but for now, I need to get home on time for iftar.