Baku as a bridge between the developing and developed world
COP29 in the focus of global media
POLITICS 22 April 2024 - 13:57
Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev, who has been appointed president of the upcoming COP29 climate conference, gave an interview to the American agency Associated Press. Caliber.Az reprints the piece.
“The man who will run United Nations climate talks this November views the negotiations as a key link in international efforts to curb global warming.”
According to Minister Babayev, the conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, must build on last year’s successful agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, said Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan’s environment minister who will serve as conference president of the talks known as COP29 this fall. And this fall’s meeting must help pave the way for countries to come together in 2025 on beefed-up plans to clamp down on heat-trapping gases, Babayev said.
In a 30-minute interview with the Associated Press at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Washington, Babayev said, Baku is the place to find common ground on how rich countries may provide financial help to poorer nations who generally don’t contribute as much to warming but suffer more from climate change, Babayev said in a 30-minute interview with The Associated Press at the Azerbaijan embassy in Washington.
“We need to consider any possible actions or activities to bring the parties to be closer to each other,” Babayev said. “We consider Baku as a bridge between the developing and developed world.”
“But it’s a bridge under construction. Most past climate negotiations — called Conferences of the Parties or COPs — had years to plan. But because of the geopolitics of eastern Europe, world leaders couldn’t agree far in advance where COP29 would be. That’s critical because the host country holds the presidency and sets the agenda.
Baku was chosen last December, with its selection part of the peace accord between warring Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Successful climate talks often depend on months or years of work by president-designates such as Babayev traveling and working to forge the skeleton of agreements and alliances.
“We had only 10 months for preparation,” Babayev said. Azerbaijan only recently picked a venue, Baku’s large Olympic stadium, to try to fit in the 85,000 or so people who come to these conferences. “A lot of things, they’re not clear now but I think within this year everything will be more or less clear.”
Babayev said his team is still gathering information, meeting people and making connections, but hasn’t yet set specific goals for the conference.
But there is one general goal: More financial help for the developing world to shift to cleaner energy systems, and to cope with the extra heat, floods, storms and droughts worsened by climate change.
“The agenda is to invite all the donors to at least increase their contribution for developing countries,” Babayev said. “Because with the climate change there we are daily faced with all these impacts.”
Babayev pointed outside this week to sunny and sticky Washington weather, which was 78 degrees (25.6 degrees Celsius) , or 8 degrees (4.4 degrees Celsius) warmer than normal. He said Baku had similar temperatures at the moment, also well above normal. Look at Dubai, which hosted last year’s climate talks, and its devastating flooding this week, something Kazakhstan and other countries have also felt, he said.
Babayev was in Washington for the spring meetings of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other powerful financial institutions. He and his team were mostly gathering information. The United Nations climate secretary, Simon Stiell, last week called on those financial institutions to make dramatic changes, including debt relief for poor nations, to help fight warming and its impacts.
But Babayev is eyeing another group: The private sector of banks, investments funds and the like.
“We call on the private sector to be very active and responsible about this and to be ready to not delay with the offers, the proposals for climate finance,” Babayev said.
Like the current COP president, Sultan al-Jaber of Dubai, who is the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Babayev worked for many years in the state-owned oil company in Azerbaijan. Activists and academics have long blasted the influence of the oil industry — one of the major sources of heat-trapping gases — in these United Nations negotiations and that intensified last year when it was run by an oil man. But al Jaber and Babayev said their industry connections are more helpful in getting companies to the table and getting things done.
Babayev said he also hopes that Baku — where the world’s first oil fields were developed in 1846 and Azerbaijan led the world in oil production in 1899 — can show how this “oil and gas country of the past” can show the world a green path with its efforts to ramp up renewable energy, especially wind power,” the article says.
Caliber.Az
1
|
Phantom arms deal: How false claims aim to derail Baku-Tehran diplomacy Azerbaijan embraces "forewarned is forearmed" principle
25 July 2024 - 15:34
|
2
|
Could France’s anti-NATO rhetoric trigger domestic turmoil? Leftist Mélenchon's stance sparks historical echoes
24 July 2024 - 10:24
|
3
|
Azerbaijan: The new powerhouse of aluminium production amid global market strain "Green" era's requirement
25 July 2024 - 17:05
|
4
|
Brussels' bait and Yerevan's rush to swallow it The visa-free temptation
24 July 2024 - 09:00
|
5
|
West-backed Armenia likely to spark conflict with Azerbaijan rather than seek peace Caliber.Az reveals expert prognoses
25 July 2024 - 11:10
|
Japan addressing increasing incidents of customer harassment
Service culture under strain27 July 2024 - 03:05
Swiss spots struggle with social media-driven visitor impact
Tourism vs. nature27 July 2024 - 01:03
German chancellor tackles EU expansion, internal reform challenges
Path forward26 July 2024 - 23:03
Italian newspaper explores Azerbaijan's ancient Albanian churches
26 July 2024 - 21:08
Azerbaijani prosecutor general declares ties with Türkiye as strategic partnership
PHOTO26 July 2024 - 20:55
Azerbaijan, Italy strengthening military relations
PHOTO26 July 2024 - 20:42
China demands withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from Europe
26 July 2024 - 20:29
Pentagon concedes to spreading anti-Sinovac propaganda in Philippines
26 July 2024 - 20:16
COP29 presidency team hosts events to tackle key climate agenda issues
26 July 2024 - 20:03
Israel targets Türkiye’s TRT Haber team covering Al-Aqsa mosque incident
26 July 2024 - 19:51
COP20 president: Azerbaijan should lead with ambition at COP29
26 July 2024 - 19:38
Turkish defence minister, Azerbaijani ambassador discuss strengthening military ties
26 July 2024 - 19:25
FBI seeking to interview Trump as part of assassination attempt investigation
26 July 2024 - 19:12
US presidential candidate cites potential path to victory with Biden out of race
26 July 2024 - 18:58
Turkish MP confirms plans for official Azerbaijani school in Istanbul
26 July 2024 - 18:44
US vice president’s call for peace in Gaza sparks controversy with Israel
26 July 2024 - 18:30
FM: Italy to appoint ambassador to Syria after 10 years
26 July 2024 - 18:17
Head of Georgian Parliament blames opposition for compromising national safety
Aid to Ukraine at Georgia’s expense26 July 2024 - 18:03
South Caucasus on edge: West fuels Armenia's war drums
Yerevan clings to deceitful rhetoric26 July 2024 - 18:02
Media: Iran arms Hezbollah with advanced weapons
26 July 2024 - 17:49
Bolsonaro intends to run for Brazilian presidency in 2026, citing confidence in winning
26 July 2024 - 17:36
Armenian PM visits modernised Margara checkpoint on Turkish border
VIDEO26 July 2024 - 17:22
Boeing considers to convert its top fighter into an electronic warfare jet
Caliber.Az on YouTube26 July 2024 - 17:17
Belarus ready to expand cooperation with North Korea
26 July 2024 - 17:09
EU appoints new special representative for South Caucasus
26 July 2024 - 17:01
Azerbaijani-Chinese partnership defies "first among equals" attitudes
Rising above geopolitical cynicism26 July 2024 - 16:55
Armenia's militarization: A "peace agenda" with an armed approach
Yerevan must revisit recent historical lessons26 July 2024 - 16:42
Azerbaijan approves cooperation pacts with Türkiye, Kazakhstan
26 July 2024 - 16:33
Media: US informs Iran of readiness to return to nuclear deal
26 July 2024 - 16:29
Turkish forces take down PKK terrorists in coordinated Iraq and Syria raids
VIDEO26 July 2024 - 16:16
Israeli air strikes hit Hezbollah outposts in response to rocket fire
26 July 2024 - 16:03
Kremlin spox: EU ridicules Orban over Moscow visit
26 July 2024 - 15:51
Armenian parliamentary delegation visits Georgia to strengthen bilateral ties
26 July 2024 - 15:38
Washington talks peace while arming Yerevan
26 July 2024 - 15:38
Travellers from 13 nations explore rebuilding of Karabakh, East Zangazur
PHOTO26 July 2024 - 15:25
European Commission transfers €1.5 billion from frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine's defence
26 July 2024 - 15:25
Trump says US to destroy Iran in case of his assassination
26 July 2024 - 15:12
Kremlin declares dialogue with West futile amid hostility toward Russia
26 July 2024 - 14:59
Somalia, Azerbaijan share common positions on many international forums
Minister’s statement26 July 2024 - 14:46
Azerbaijan promoting tourism potential in India
PHOTO26 July 2024 - 14:33