Azerbaijan set to take bold steps vis-à-vis climate change - minister

Azerbaijan realizes that it must set an example and we will take measures to combat climate change a central element of our national development plan.

Azerbaijani Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, President of COP29 Muxtar Babayev said this at the 15th Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin today, Report informs.

Azerbaijan is making every effort to contribute to the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“But even though we are reducing emissions, everyone still needs to adapt to a warming planet. Next year we all need to develop national adaptation plans so that we can make rapid progress towards realizing them by 2030. These plans will determine how we share best practices, and technologies and support each other's efforts,” he added.

Muxtar Babayev said the negative impact of climate change on agriculture also remains an important issue.

“Crop yields are decreasing, it is becoming difficult to feed a growing planet. More than a third of the labor force in Azerbaijan is employed in agriculture. We now face the risk of water shortages and land degradation. Nearly 4bn people around the world face such problems. Last year, many countries pledged to transform their food systems. This is necessary to protect farmers and food systems from the negative effects of global warming,” he said.