President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, the host country for COP29, made headlines at the UN climate conference by describing oil and gas as a “gift of God” and defending his country’s fossil fuel reserves.
In his speech, Aliyev criticized what he referred to as “Western fake news” regarding Azerbaijan’s emissions, asserting that nations with fossil fuel resources should not be blamed for their existence, reported BBC News.
Azerbaijan, which plans to expand its gas production by up to a third over the next decade, has faced scrutiny in the lead-up to COP29.
Observers worried that Azerbaijani officials may use the conference to promote investment in the national oil and gas sector, particularly given the prominence of the country’s oil industry in its economy.
The conference’s chairman is Azerbaijan’s Minister for Ecology and Natural Resources, who has a background as a former oil executive with 26 years of experience at Socar, Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil and gas company.
On the second day of the conference, Aliyev responded to criticisms, claiming that Azerbaijan had faced “slander and blackmail” from Western media, charities, and politicians ahead of the event.
He argued that Azerbaijan’s share of global gas emissions is minimal, stating that it accounts for “only 0.1%.” Said Aliyev:
Oil, gas, wind, sun, gold, silver, copper, all… are natural resources and countries should not be blamed for having them, and should not be blamed for bringing these resources to the market, because the market needs them.
Oil and gas are widely recognized as major contributors to climate change, as they release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide when burned for energy.
Despite this, Aliyev’s comments—calling oil and gas a “gift of God”—are unlikely to derail the behind-the-scenes efforts aimed at securing funding for poorer countries’ climate initiatives.
Developing nations are pushing for the creation of a climate fund, potentially totalling $1 trillion, which would combine both public and private financial resources to support their climate resilience and mitigation efforts.
This has become one of the central issues of COP29, as nations from the Global South demand more substantial financial commitments from wealthier countries.
However, key leaders from some of the world’s largest polluters, including U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were absent from the conference in Baku.
This absence has raised questions about the level of commitment from major polluting countries to tackle climate change on the global stage.
At the conference, Burkina Faso’s environment minister, Roger Baro, stressed the urgent need for increased financial support to help countries in the Sahel and other regions combat the devastating impacts of climate change, including droughts, floods, and disease outbreaks.
The Sahel region, in particular, has been reeling from extreme weather events, including a heatwave that saw temperatures soar to 45°C—an event that scientists have attributed to climate change.
Meanwhile, the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation has warned that 2024 is on track to become the warmest year on record.
COP29 is set to continue until November 22, but with complex and contentious issues on the agenda, reaching a final agreement on climate finance and other critical matters remains uncertain.
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