DW
November 8, 2024
Much is at stake at the UN climate conference in Baku. But host Azerbaijan, pushing to boost its oil and gas sector, has locked up dozens of critics in the past months.
Oil, gas are 'a gift from God'
Traditionally, the climate conference host acts as a kind of mediator in negotiations and can set the tone of the talks. Azerbaijan's Aliyev has already made clear where his priorities might lie at the negotiating table.
"I have always said that having oil and gas deposits is not our fault. It's a gift from God," Aliyev told German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin this past April.
At the meeting, Aliyev said he would defend the right of countries to invest in and promote fossil fuels as a way to help drive his country's prosperity and fight poverty.
The COP host's electricity mix is made up of 93% fossil fuels. Climate Action Tracker, an independent scientific project, has given Azerbaijan the worst possible rating for climate protection, on par with other oil countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran.
"Huge investments are being made in fossil fuels, and climate protection measures are minimal," said Niklas Höhne from the New Climate Institute, an NGO based in Cologne, Germany. The country also does not have a zero-emissions target.
COP host 'doesn't care' about climate
COP hosting duties normally rotate among states in the five United Nations regional groups: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Western European and other countries.
"The climate negotiations will only succeed if we have a strong and very credible presidency," said Höhne. Azerbaijan has advertised itself as better than it is when it comes to climate protection and "that is not a good start," added the climate policy expert.
Despite its fossil fuel reliance, Azerbaijan's potential for solar and wind energy and to produce green hydrogen for export is huge, according to Climate Action Tracker. While there has been some investment in renewables, that potential is barely being exploited. The organization estimates the country's emissions will increase by as much as 20% in the coming years.
Former oil executive will chair COP29
Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan's environment minister and former sustainability officer at the state oil company SOCAR, will chair this year's climate negotiations.
Powerful figures from the oil and gas industry presiding over climate conferences is nothing new. Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, an executive at United Arab Emirates' state oil and gas company ADNOC, chaired the 2023 conference in Dubai. French energy group TotalEnergies and ADNOC recently bought a 30% equity stake in an Azerbaijani gas field in the Caspian. Oil and gas account for 90% of the country's exports.
Most of those exports go to the EU, with Russia's war in Ukraine bolstering energy ties between the bloc and Azerbaijan. When Azerbaijan seized full control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region following a military assault and expelled over 100,000 Armenians last year, the EU criticized the move. But it continues to rely on Azerbaijan's gas, even if the petro-state is a minor oil and gas player compared to Saudi Arabia, China and the United States.
Environmental activists, journalists in danger
Away from the negotiations at the UN climate summit in Baku, the situation for government critics and environmentalists on the ground is bad. Human Rights Watch has said climate protests are violently suppressed, and activists are arrested on fictitious grounds.
In April, for example, police arrested human rights and climate activist Anar Mammadli outside a kindergarten for alleged smuggling of counterfeit cash. Just before his arrest, Mammadli co-founded an initiative to campaign for civil rights and climate justice in Azerbaijan, said HRW. He's still in prison.
Reprisals against critics have been intensifying ahead of the climate conference, said HRW — as has brutality against journalists. "Some of the colleagues are not only tortured in the prisons, they are murdered," said Huseynov, adding that President Aliyev does not want independent voices to speak to the international media.
Azerbaijan has also imposed entry bans on four German lawmakers for criticizing its human rights record. Huseynov has called on world leaders to exert pressure on the country's ruler by linking their attendance at the climate conference to the release of political prisoners.
The activist himself was only allowed to leave the Swiss Embassy and the country through foreign political pressure. Ahead of the 2015 European Games in Baku, the Swiss government successfully demanded Huseynov's release. In the meantime, many other government critics remain in prison in Azerbaijan.
Edited by: Jennifer Collins and Sarah Steffen
Translation: Jennifer Collins
Much is at stake at the UN climate conference in Baku. But host Azerbaijan, pushing to boost its oil and gas sector, has locked up dozens of critics in the past months.
Azerbaijan is highly dependent on fossil fuels
Image: Bulkin Sergey/Russian Look/IMAGO
When the Azerbaijani government launched a crackdown on reporters in August 2014, investigative journalist and human rights activist Emin Huseynov feared for his freedom and his life.
"When they started first [the] repression against all of us, most of my colleagues [were] jailed," said the now 44-year-old.
A prominent critic of Azerbaijan's authoritarian ruler, Ilham Aliyev, Huseynov had previously been badly beaten by police. When the repression started in 2014, he sought protection in the Swiss Embassy in Baku, the capital of the former Soviet republic bounded by the Caspian Sea and Caucasus Mountains.
Now Huseynov lives in exile. He cannot go back to his homeland for fear of ending up in prison like the dozens of other government critics and environmental activists currently behind bars in Azerbaijan.
NGO Human Rights Watch has said repression has worsened in the tiny petro-state over the past two years. The group has urged the European Union to spotlight the "deteriorating human rights situation" when world leaders descend upon Baku for the COP29 conference to discuss climate action and fair financing for global climate protection.
When the Azerbaijani government launched a crackdown on reporters in August 2014, investigative journalist and human rights activist Emin Huseynov feared for his freedom and his life.
"When they started first [the] repression against all of us, most of my colleagues [were] jailed," said the now 44-year-old.
A prominent critic of Azerbaijan's authoritarian ruler, Ilham Aliyev, Huseynov had previously been badly beaten by police. When the repression started in 2014, he sought protection in the Swiss Embassy in Baku, the capital of the former Soviet republic bounded by the Caspian Sea and Caucasus Mountains.
Now Huseynov lives in exile. He cannot go back to his homeland for fear of ending up in prison like the dozens of other government critics and environmental activists currently behind bars in Azerbaijan.
NGO Human Rights Watch has said repression has worsened in the tiny petro-state over the past two years. The group has urged the European Union to spotlight the "deteriorating human rights situation" when world leaders descend upon Baku for the COP29 conference to discuss climate action and fair financing for global climate protection.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (right), who has close ties with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has described the oil and gas in his country as a divine gift
Grigory Sysoyev/Sputnik/Kremlin/AP Photo/picture alliance
As host and lead negotiator, Azerbaijan has said it wants to promote the goals of the historic Paris Agreement. It will focus on compliance with the 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7-Fahrenheit) temperature limit, more climate protection, financial support for developing countries and climate justice, according to official documents sent to the nearly 200 participating states.
As host and lead negotiator, Azerbaijan has said it wants to promote the goals of the historic Paris Agreement. It will focus on compliance with the 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7-Fahrenheit) temperature limit, more climate protection, financial support for developing countries and climate justice, according to official documents sent to the nearly 200 participating states.
Oil, gas are 'a gift from God'
Traditionally, the climate conference host acts as a kind of mediator in negotiations and can set the tone of the talks. Azerbaijan's Aliyev has already made clear where his priorities might lie at the negotiating table.
"I have always said that having oil and gas deposits is not our fault. It's a gift from God," Aliyev told German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin this past April.
At the meeting, Aliyev said he would defend the right of countries to invest in and promote fossil fuels as a way to help drive his country's prosperity and fight poverty.
The COP host's electricity mix is made up of 93% fossil fuels. Climate Action Tracker, an independent scientific project, has given Azerbaijan the worst possible rating for climate protection, on par with other oil countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran.
"Huge investments are being made in fossil fuels, and climate protection measures are minimal," said Niklas Höhne from the New Climate Institute, an NGO based in Cologne, Germany. The country also does not have a zero-emissions target.
COP host 'doesn't care' about climate
COP hosting duties normally rotate among states in the five United Nations regional groups: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Western European and other countries.
"The climate negotiations will only succeed if we have a strong and very credible presidency," said Höhne. Azerbaijan has advertised itself as better than it is when it comes to climate protection and "that is not a good start," added the climate policy expert.
Despite its fossil fuel reliance, Azerbaijan's potential for solar and wind energy and to produce green hydrogen for export is huge, according to Climate Action Tracker. While there has been some investment in renewables, that potential is barely being exploited. The organization estimates the country's emissions will increase by as much as 20% in the coming years.
Azerbaijan is a major exporter of both oil and gas
Image: Bulkin Sergey/Russian Look/IMAGO
"He doesn't care about the climate," said exiled reporter Huseynov of Aliyev, adding that the president is more concerned with using the international conference to legitimize his rule. He is "trying to use this important climate change event for whitewashing [his] toxic political image," said the human rights activist.
In February, Aliyev secured a landslide victory following a snap election, which OSCE observers described as restrictive and undemocratic. Huseynov said the country's population is "still in poverty even [if] oil and gas exports give billions to the country."
"He doesn't care about the climate," said exiled reporter Huseynov of Aliyev, adding that the president is more concerned with using the international conference to legitimize his rule. He is "trying to use this important climate change event for whitewashing [his] toxic political image," said the human rights activist.
In February, Aliyev secured a landslide victory following a snap election, which OSCE observers described as restrictive and undemocratic. Huseynov said the country's population is "still in poverty even [if] oil and gas exports give billions to the country."
Former oil executive will chair COP29
Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan's environment minister and former sustainability officer at the state oil company SOCAR, will chair this year's climate negotiations.
Powerful figures from the oil and gas industry presiding over climate conferences is nothing new. Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, an executive at United Arab Emirates' state oil and gas company ADNOC, chaired the 2023 conference in Dubai. French energy group TotalEnergies and ADNOC recently bought a 30% equity stake in an Azerbaijani gas field in the Caspian. Oil and gas account for 90% of the country's exports.
Most of those exports go to the EU, with Russia's war in Ukraine bolstering energy ties between the bloc and Azerbaijan. When Azerbaijan seized full control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region following a military assault and expelled over 100,000 Armenians last year, the EU criticized the move. But it continues to rely on Azerbaijan's gas, even if the petro-state is a minor oil and gas player compared to Saudi Arabia, China and the United States.
Environmental activists, journalists in danger
Away from the negotiations at the UN climate summit in Baku, the situation for government critics and environmentalists on the ground is bad. Human Rights Watch has said climate protests are violently suppressed, and activists are arrested on fictitious grounds.
Protesting during the climate conference could be highly dangerous for activists and critics
Image: Sergei Grits/AP Photo/picture alliance
In April, for example, police arrested human rights and climate activist Anar Mammadli outside a kindergarten for alleged smuggling of counterfeit cash. Just before his arrest, Mammadli co-founded an initiative to campaign for civil rights and climate justice in Azerbaijan, said HRW. He's still in prison.
Reprisals against critics have been intensifying ahead of the climate conference, said HRW — as has brutality against journalists. "Some of the colleagues are not only tortured in the prisons, they are murdered," said Huseynov, adding that President Aliyev does not want independent voices to speak to the international media.
Azerbaijan has also imposed entry bans on four German lawmakers for criticizing its human rights record. Huseynov has called on world leaders to exert pressure on the country's ruler by linking their attendance at the climate conference to the release of political prisoners.
The activist himself was only allowed to leave the Swiss Embassy and the country through foreign political pressure. Ahead of the 2015 European Games in Baku, the Swiss government successfully demanded Huseynov's release. In the meantime, many other government critics remain in prison in Azerbaijan.
Edited by: Jennifer Collins and Sarah Steffen
Translation: Jennifer Collins
Afghanistan's Taliban send delegation to COP29 climate summit
Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry says it is sending a delegation to the COP29 summit, on an invite from hosts Azerbaijan. The Taliban have tried and failed to attend several past COPs.
Environmental agency head says climate change a 'humanitarian' subject, not a political one
"A delegation of the Afghan government will be in Baku" for the summit, Afghan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi told AFP
Both AFP and Reuters reported, citing off-the-record sources, that the Taliban delegation would only have observer status rather than being a full participant.
Reuters cited a diplomatic source as saying this meant the delegation, from the national environment agency, would be able to "potentially participate in periphery discussions and potentially hold bilateral meetings."
It was not possible to give the delegates standard credentials as full participants, the source said, given the Taliban not being recognized as Afghanistan's rightful government.
The Taliban are seeking more international recognition in general, and have made some inroads — such as attending UN-organized meetings in Doha, and Taliban ministers attending forums in China and Central Asia over the past two years.
But their fundamentalist governance, particularly their treatment of women and girls, and the violent nature of their return to power have still left the Taliban more or less isolated on the world stage.
On the topic of climate change, however, officials from the country's National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) argue that the political barriers to entry should be even lower given the nature of the issue.
"Climate change is a humanitarian subject," deputy NEPA head Zainulabedin Abid told AFP last month. "We have called on the international community not to relate climate change with politics."
Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry says it is sending a delegation to the COP29 summit, on an invite from hosts Azerbaijan. The Taliban have tried and failed to attend several past COPs.
Droughts are commonplace in much of Afghanistan, with the country deemed among the most at risk from climate change. Flash floods are also frequent when rains finally do fall on parched ground.
Image: Ali Khara/REUTERS
Taliban officials from Afghanistan will attend the UN climate conference that starts next week in Baku in Azerbaijan, the country's Foreign Ministry told news agencies AFP and Reuters on Sunday.
It will be the first time Afghanistan attends the annual global climate summit since the Taliban reclaimed power in 2021 amid the rapid US withdrawal from the country, two decades after ousting the previous Taliban regime.
The Taliban government is not internationally recognized and the UN has not allowed the Taliban to take up Afghanistan's seat at the General Assembly.
COP29 organizers had also deferred a decision on considering Afghan participation since 2021, meaning the country was not able to attend other recent summits despite trying to.
Afghan NGOs had also complained that they struggled to attend such sessions since the Taliban's return.
Taliban officials from Afghanistan will attend the UN climate conference that starts next week in Baku in Azerbaijan, the country's Foreign Ministry told news agencies AFP and Reuters on Sunday.
It will be the first time Afghanistan attends the annual global climate summit since the Taliban reclaimed power in 2021 amid the rapid US withdrawal from the country, two decades after ousting the previous Taliban regime.
The Taliban government is not internationally recognized and the UN has not allowed the Taliban to take up Afghanistan's seat at the General Assembly.
COP29 organizers had also deferred a decision on considering Afghan participation since 2021, meaning the country was not able to attend other recent summits despite trying to.
Afghan NGOs had also complained that they struggled to attend such sessions since the Taliban's return.
After a period of drought, seasonal rains brought major flash flooding to northern Afghanistan in May of this year
Muhammad Yasin/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
Environmental agency head says climate change a 'humanitarian' subject, not a political one
"A delegation of the Afghan government will be in Baku" for the summit, Afghan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi told AFP
Both AFP and Reuters reported, citing off-the-record sources, that the Taliban delegation would only have observer status rather than being a full participant.
Reuters cited a diplomatic source as saying this meant the delegation, from the national environment agency, would be able to "potentially participate in periphery discussions and potentially hold bilateral meetings."
It was not possible to give the delegates standard credentials as full participants, the source said, given the Taliban not being recognized as Afghanistan's rightful government.
The Taliban are seeking more international recognition in general, and have made some inroads — such as attending UN-organized meetings in Doha, and Taliban ministers attending forums in China and Central Asia over the past two years.
But their fundamentalist governance, particularly their treatment of women and girls, and the violent nature of their return to power have still left the Taliban more or less isolated on the world stage.
On the topic of climate change, however, officials from the country's National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) argue that the political barriers to entry should be even lower given the nature of the issue.
"Climate change is a humanitarian subject," deputy NEPA head Zainulabedin Abid told AFP last month. "We have called on the international community not to relate climate change with politics."
Zainulabedin Abid, deputy head of the National Environmental Protection Agency, said last month that climate change should be deemed a humanitarian and not a political issue
Image: Charlotte Machado/AFP/Getty Images
At-risk country, where droughts and flash floods are already commonplace
Despite a comparatively small and sparse population, Afghanistan is considered one of the countries most affected by climate change worldwide.
Flash floods earlier this year killed hundreds, and the highly agriculture-dependent country has been suffering one of its worst droughts in decades in recent years.
Many Afghans live as subsistence farmers and face deepening food insecurity amid the fluctuating seasonal rains and the often arid landscape.
The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, better known as COP29, is scheduled to run from Monday, November 11, through November 22, the following Friday.
Despite a comparatively small and sparse population, Afghanistan is considered one of the countries most affected by climate change worldwide.
Flash floods earlier this year killed hundreds, and the highly agriculture-dependent country has been suffering one of its worst droughts in decades in recent years.
Many Afghans live as subsistence farmers and face deepening food insecurity amid the fluctuating seasonal rains and the often arid landscape.
The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, better known as COP29, is scheduled to run from Monday, November 11, through November 22, the following Friday.
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