Azerbaijan’s climate envoy: Glacial retreat triggers new climate threats

COP29 President and Azerbaijan’s Presidential Representative on Climate Issues, Mukhtar Babayev, has said that the retreat of glaciers is creating new threats, according to a post on his X account.

Speaking at a high-level session on early warning and disaster risk reduction within the framework of the Regional Environmental Summit (RES 2026) held in Astana, Babayev stressed that extreme weather events are increasingly viewed as one of the key short-, medium- and long-term risks.

Joined the high-level session on early warning and disaster risk reduction at @RES_2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

What stands out is how extreme weather events are increasingly identified as a major risk across short-, medium- and long-term horizons, while climate risks continue to… pic.twitter.com/UA1kEImyTh

— Mukhtar Babayev (@Mukhtar_Babayev) April 25, 2026

He noted that climate threats continue to intensify, with rising temperatures, more frequent extreme weather events, and rapid glacier melt increasing the risk of floods, droughts, and other natural disasters.

“In Central Asia, this is already visible. Glacier retreat is creating new risks, including glacial lake outburst floods, with implications for both mountain and downstream communities,” Babayev said.

He added that Azerbaijan is continuing work to strengthen early warning systems and climate risk monitoring. According to him, the presentation of Azerbaijan’s first National Adaptation Plan at COP29 contributes to a more systematic approach to risk management and coordination of response measures.

He also emphasized that COP outcomes are gradually shifting the focus from discussions to practical implementation — including expanding adaptation efforts and launching mechanisms to address loss and damage.

By Jeyhun Aghazada