COP29: why is the United Nations climate summit being held in Azerbaijan?

This year, the main international summit aimed at preventing the planet from warming dangerously is being held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, a country whose recent economic boom has been fueled by oil and gas extraction.

Why was Azerbaijan chosen to host COP29 and what are the objectives of this meeting?

The annual UN climate conference is called the Conference of the Parties, or COP for short.

This year, it will be held for the twenty-ninth time, having started in Berlin in 1995. The goal of the COP summits is to limit carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and reduce global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

This year, one of the main topics of discussion will be raising funds to enable developing countries to adapt to climate change. Many countries already face unpredictable weather and air pollution. But the poorest among them struggle to switch to clean energy sources.

In 2009, at COP15 in Copenhagen, it was agreed that $100 billion would be allocated annually by developed countries to developing countries to support climate action.

In 2015, this amount was confirmed as valid for the period 2020-2025. According to reports from international organizations, the $100 billion target was reached for the first time in 2022.

After 2025, another initiative, called “New Collective Quantitative Target on Climate Finance” (NCQG), is expected to be implemented. This financial target is one of the main topics discussed at COP29 which is being held this month in Baku.

Developing countries say they need funding between 1,100 and 1,300 billion dollarswhile developed countries want this amount to be maintained at $100 billion.

But who will pay the bill?

“A key part of this challenge is trying to increase the number of donors so that countries like China, India, Singapore and many others that are currently considered developing countries will contribute financially. It will be a real test and it will require diplomatic skill,” says Matt McGrath, BBC environment correspondent.

The selection of Azerbaijan as the host country for the climate conference surprised many people in the country, although in recent years Baku has become accustomed to hosting international events – from the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 to the Games of Islamic solidarity in 2017, including Formula 1 races since 2016.

This year, it was expected that one of the Eastern European countries would be chosen. Armenia and Bulgaria, which also bid to host COP29, were neck and neck with Azerbaijan for the role, but both withdrew, making way for Azerbaijan.

According to Enzo Di Giulio, Italian expert in the field of energy and environmental economics, the decision to organize COP29 in Baku has little to do with climate policy, but rather with international relations.

“This is a political event with profound implications. First of all, Azerbaijan is a producer of oil and natural gas, and the country can be considered the birthplace of the hydrocarbon industry,” he explains.

The oil and gas industry has been the cornerstone of the country’s economy since it became independent following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, as new deposits were discovered beneath the Caspian Sea.

Official data for 2023 shows that more than a third of the country’s GDP is generated by the oil and gas sector, and the share of the oil and gas sector in the 2023 budget is more than 50%. Oil and gas products made up more than 90% of exports.

Javid Gara, environmental expert and founder of the Azerbaijani organization “Ecofront”, believes that Azerbaijan’s climate commitments are currently limited.

“Azerbaijan is not ambitious in meeting its obligations. It was expected that a more ambitious plan would be unveiled before COP29, but it did not materialize.”

At the same time, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev declared 2024 “Year of Solidarity for the Green World”. The country of Baku’s official goals are to reduce greenhouse gases by 35% by 2030 and 40% by 2050, compared to 1990 figures.

For centuries, the country was divided between the Russian Empire and the Persian Empire, before being incorporated into the Soviet Union. In 1873, the Nobel brothers, members of a prominent Swedish industrial family, founded a large oil company in Baku, which for a time produced half of the world’s oil.

Currently, Baku maintains a balanced foreign policy towards the West and Russia, but Turkey exerts significant influence due to its cultural and linguistic ties. It maintains cautious ties with Iran, while selling oil to Israel and buying weapons from it.

Azerbaijan supported NATO operations in Afghanistan in the 2000s. British companies have invested $83 billion in Azerbaijan, with the multinational BP being a major player.

Azerbaijan has signed strategic partnerships with Russia and China and wants to join BRICS, an economic partnership led by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. At the same time, Azerbaijan has benefited from international sanctions against Russia, introduced after the massive invasion of Ukraine, as it now sells more oil and gas to Europe.

The selection of Azerbaijan as host country for COP29 has raised human rights concerns. Many international organizations have criticized the country’s human rights record. There are believed to be more than 400 political prisoners, although the Azerbaijani government denies that anyone has been detained for their views.

Since 1991, Azerbaijan has been in conflict with its neighbor Armenia over the exclave of Karabag, better known as Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan regained control of the region following two rapid military campaigns, in 2020 and 2023. Around 100,000 ethnic Armenians were displaced as a result of these campaigns.

COP29 will be held in Baku, a city of 2.3 million inhabitants in a country of 10 million.

Recent heavy rains in Baku caused flash floods and highlighted the lack of preparedness for extreme weather conditions. While authorities have called the floods unprecedented, critics have blamed a lack of infrastructure rather than climate change alone.

In anticipation of the rally, Baku saw changes such as bus lanes and cycle paths, short-term rental bicycles and electric scooters. Infrastructure such as charging stations for electric cars and traffic lights for bicycles have been put in place. Some streets have become pedestrianized. Building facades were cleaned and roads were repaired before the summit.

As world leaders gather in Baku from November 11, COP29 will be an opportunity to promote more ambitious climate goals, particularly regarding climate finance for developing countries. But will these efforts be successful?

“It’s a huge challenge,” says the BBC’s Matt McGrath. “No one agrees on what form the new funding agreement should take and how much it should involve.

“Developing countries say they will not be able to improve their plans to reduce carbon emissions without new commitment from rich countries.