Baku to host space challenges summit in combating climate change

Azerbaijan’s Azercosmos Space Agency will host a summit on “Space Challenges in the Fight Against Climate Change” on the margins of the COP29 climate conference.

The summit will bring together high-level delegations from 20 global space agencies, as well as representatives from international organizations such as the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and the International Astronautical Federation, alongside key players from the private sector, Caliber.Az reports.

The event aims to unite space agencies from around the world to explore how space technology can be harnessed in the global fight against climate change.

The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) will be held in Azerbaijan on November 11-22. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary session in Dubai on December 11, 2023.

COP29 is a pivotal opportunity to accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis. During two weeks, Baku will welcome around 70,000 to 80,000 international guests, including leaders from governments, business and civil society to advance concrete solutions to the record-high global temperatures, and extreme weather events affecting people around the globe.

A key focus of COP29 will be on finance, as trillions of dollars are required for countries to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect lives and livelihoods from the worsening impacts of climate change.

The conference will also be a key moment for countries to present their updated national climate action plans under the Paris Agreement, which are due by early 2025. If done right, these plans will limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and double as investment plans advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

By Vafa Guliyeva