Pakistani expert: Climate summits are often platforms for Western countries to assert their influence

Climate summits, rather than focusing purely on finding solutions to the climate crisis, are often platforms for Western countries to assert their influence, Maarij Farooq, Pakistani expert and deputy editor-in-chief at Pakistan Economic Net & Daily Ittehad Media Group, told Report.

"The policies of countries like the USA and France often reflect a stark contradiction. On one hand, they advocate for stringent climate policies globally, yet their own environmental records leave much to be desired," he said.

The expert noted that the perspective of many Western countries towards Azerbaijan is rarely unbiased.

"Instead of recognizing the efforts Azerbaijan has made in modernizing its energy sector and exploring sustainable practices, the narrative often centers around its oil and gas exports. Such a view is myopic, failing to account for Azerbaijan's context, developmental needs, and the fact that its economy is in transition. The Western approach tends to ignore these nuances and is often shaped by geopolitical motives, casting Azerbaijan in a negative light without fairly assessing its policies or achievements," Farooq said.

The expert also voiced concern about the fact that the climate summits have, unfortunately, become battlegrounds for political agendas.

"Rather than focusing purely on finding solutions to the climate crisis, they are often platforms for Western countries to assert their influence, set the narrative, and exert pressure on specific nations," he said, noting that while climate summits must create a unified, collective response to the global climate emergency, in fact, they are turned into tools to strengthen the geopolitical influence of western countries.

Farooq noted that these policies can be seen as neo-colonial, when western countries attempt to dictate terms to countries like Azerbaijan, while disregarding their unique development paths and sovereign rights.

"Such an approach not only undermines the spirit of global solidarity but also hinders the progress needed to address climate challenges effectively," he said.