The decision of COP 28 talks in the United Arab Emirates at Dubai to have Baku host COP 29 resolved the geopolitical deadlock over the locations of the 2024 UN climate summit, President of the Kenyan NGO Consortium of Grassroots Eliud Emery told Report.
He recalled that almost 200 countries, including Armenia, approved Azerbaijan to host the COP 29:
“In response to criticism from some who oppose climate conferences held by oil-producing countries, Azerbaijan is demonstrating its commitment to the green agenda with investments in wind and solar energy. Efforts to lay an electric cable under the Black Sea to transmit green energy from wind farms in the Caspian Sea to Europe are also important. Azerbaijan is really committed to this idea and is trying to achieve it.”
“Based on research, Azerbaijan has an estimated 2.5 trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves. This is in reference to 2021 bp statistics, a review of world energy and more. So the global warming emissions from burning natural gas are lower than those from coal or oil, so they remain much higher than green energy sources. That means Azerbaijan hosting the COP 29 is of an advantage because that is part of the nations that are exporting gas,” Eliud Emery said.
Emery said that it is important for countries like Azerbaijan to participate in the coalition in the fight against climate change and also the peace agenda:
“President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, noted that oil-exporting nations should lead by example and that hosting the summit was a complementary and not a paradox.”
According to him, COP29 should focus on biodiversity laws, Arctic science, the hydrosphere, international climate diplomacy, climate change and public health:
“Funds towards response to climate change should be given to nonstate actors and not the government, so that we are able to track and see value for money in realization of resolutions that are being agreed every year.”