COP29 has ambitious climate action goals, says UNEP chief

The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) has big goals in the field of climate action.

Inger Andersen, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), made the remarks on social network X, Caliber.Az reports.

“New finance goals. Building momentum to new, ambitious NDCs. Action on methane, transparency & more. COP29 has big Climate Action goals. Good to meet with Minister Babayev, COP29 President, to discuss in detail. UNEP will work with COP29, UNFCCC teams to support success,” Andersen wrote.

Azerbaijan will host COP29 from November 11-22, 2024. Confirmation of Azerbaijan’s host status came at the plenary session of COP28 on December 11, 2023, after Baku received collective backing from other Eastern European countries.

Azerbaijan has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 35 per cent by 2030 and by 40 per cent by 2050 under the 2015 Paris Agreement, which the country signed in April 2016. The Paris Agreement aims to significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and limit the global temperature increase to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

Transitioning from traditional energy sources to alternative energy is a priority for the Azerbaijani government. By 2030, renewables are expected to account for 30 per cent of Azerbaijan’s electricity generation. The country’s renewable energy potential is estimated at 37,000 MW, with 10,000 MW unveiled after the liberation of territories from Armenian occupation in 2020.