When Egypt hosted in 2022, activists used the occasion to spotlight the federal government’s crackdown on political opponents. Final 12 months noticed widespread criticism when COP28 host the United Arab Emirates appointed the person tasked with increasing the nation’s oil and fuel output to steer the talks. Likewise, the incoming president of COP29 is a former Azerbaijani oil and fuel business government — although he was later tapped to steer the nation’s ecology ministry.
Nonetheless, Baku has been unapologetic about its intention to make use of the convention to advertise its personal financial pursuits. Aliyev used a speech as host of the talks to model his nation’s pure fuel reserves “a present of the gods” and to push for extra investments within the fossil gasoline business, along with renewable tasks — local weather critics be damned.
“As a head of the nation, which is wealthy with fossil fuels, after all, we are going to defend the correct of those international locations to proceed investments and to proceed manufacturing,” he mentioned.
“Petrostates are perfecting a sinister COP playbook,” mentioned Patrick Galey, a fossil gasoline investigator with International Witness, a human rights NGO. “Similar to the UAE, Azerbaijan is planning a large improve in fuel manufacturing. Similar to the UAE, Azerbaijan plans to legitimize its authoritarian regime by internet hosting these international talks. And similar to the UAE, Azerbaijan seems set to make use of COP to develop its worldwide enterprise ties.”
Recent from its personal army battle, Azerbaijan intends to model COP29 a “COP of peace,” specializing in the prevention of climate-fueled conflicts and championing inexperienced options to geopolitical issues. “This supplies a giant alternative for Baku, usually accused of pursuing a militaristic international coverage, to showcase its peace plan,” mentioned Murad Muradov, a researcher with Topchubashov Middle within the Azerbaijani capital.
Nevertheless, he added, Aliyev is unlikely to reply nicely to criticism of his personal report.
