In a letter to White House officials, 26 US lawmakers warned Azerbaijan’s “poor human-rights record” and fossil fuel dependency could compromise the UN climate talks.
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A group of US lawmakers has urged White House officials to push for the adoption of conflict of interest guidelines for the COP presidency, warning of the risks associated with the appointment of fossil state Azerbaijan to host the upcoming summit.
In an open letter addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Climate Envoy John Podesta, the 26 signatories said they were “deeply concerned” by the appointment of Azeri Ecology Minister Mukhtar Babayev to lead November’s talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, the third petrostate in a row to host the talks after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last year and Egypt in 2022.
Before his appointment as minister of ecology and natural resources in 2018, Babayev, a member of the ruling right-wing New Azerbaijan Party, worked at the state-owned oil and gas company Socar for more than two decades, during which he also briefly served as the company’s vice-president for ecology.
It is not the first time a COP president has ties with the fossil fuel industry. The highly-controversial COP28 summit in Dubai last November was led by Sultan Al-Jaber, head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), a state-owned company that pumps almost all the crude oil in the UAE and produces about 3.2 million barrels a day.
“Fossil fuel companies bear the largest responsibility for the climate crisis that is already harming millions of people across the globe. Yet these same companies have an oversized influence at COP,” the letter read. Indeed, the UAE last year granted access to at least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists, a number higher than all but one of the national delegations present in Dubai. At the 2022 COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, at least 636 people linked to the fossil fuel industry were granted access.
An investigation by the Centre for Climate Reporting (CCR) and the BBC also revealed that the COP28 presidency was planning to use meetings with foreign countries to push for oil and gas deals. Despite Al Jaber repeatedly denying his involvement, leaked documents showed that fossil fuels were among the talking points in meetings between UAE energy companies and 15 nations ahead of the summit.
“Time is running out, and this international process is too important for the United States to stand by as yet another negotiation is captured by fossil fuel interests,” said the letter’s signatories, which include Senators Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren as well as Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jan Schakowsky.
The burning of coal, natural gas, and oil for electricity and heat is the single-largest source of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the primary drivers of global warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere and raising Earth’s surface temperature. Global fossil fuel consumption has more than doubled in the last 50 years, as countries around the world aim to improve their standards of living and economic output. In 2023, all three of the most potent GHGs – carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and nitrous oxide – reached record highs.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has urged countries to halt new gas and oil field projects, arguing that this is the only way to keep the 1.5C-compatible net-zero emissions scenario alive.
Despite calls, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev last month said his country will increase its gas production and continue exporting its gas supplies to the EU “for many more years,” as the bloc seeks to break reliance on Russian gas. In 2023, Azerbaijan exported nearly half of its gas supplies to the EU, around 12 billion cubic meter. In December, the country said it was on track to nearly double that amount by 2027.
“… [W]e largely are investing in increasing our gas production because Europe needs more gas from new sources,” Aliyev said. According to the IEA, oil and gas account for about 90% of its exports’ revenue and 60% of the government’s budget.
Lawmakers also warned of Azerbaijan’s “deeply troubling” human rights record and suppression of freedom of expression. Despite some progress, challenges and gender disparities also persist, with gender roles, cultural norms, and societal expectations continuing to influence the position of women in Azerbaijani society.
Shortly after its appointment, Azerbaijan appointed an all-men organising committee for November’s summit, a move that was later ratified amid mounting pressure and calls for diversity and inclusion.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons
