Baku, Nov. 12, (dpa/GNA) – The UN Climate Change Conference host, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, on Tuesday launched into a defence of his country’s fossil fuel resources, as the UN warned that time was running out to curb climate change.
During his speech to the international annual gathering in Baku, Aliyev accused Western “fake news media” and environmental organizations of a slander campaign against his country.
Calling Azerbaijan a “petro-state” shows a lack of knowledge, said the 62-year-old authoritarian leader, who has ruled the Caucasian republic for almost 20 years.
Figures from the International Energy Agency show that oil and gas account for around 90% of the country’s exports.
Aliyev repeated his controversial statement that Azerbaijan’s oil and gas reserves are a “gift of the God [sic],” and challenged his critics to cite him.
“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, the people need them,” he said.
Oil and gas are natural resources, just like gold, copper, wind or the sun. “To accuse us that we have oil is the same like [sic] to accuse us that we have more than 250 sunny days a year in Baku,” he said.
Negotiators at the last UN climate conference agreed to “transition away” from the use of fossil fuels.
UN warning
At the COP29 meeting this year, representatives are to discuss how to contain the climate crisis and mitigate its consequences.
The summit also aims to address new financial commitments to poor countries that are particularly affected by climate change.
UN Secretary General António Guterres warned world leaders that time is running out in the fight against climate change.
“We are in the final countdown to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” Guterres said during his speech in Baku. “And time is not on our side.”
It currently looks unlikely that the world will meet the globally agreed target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. This year the limit is expected to be exceeded for the first time, while the target is a multi-year average.
Guterres described 2024 as “a masterclass in climate destruction.” Families had fled from hurricanes, workers had collapsed in unbearable heat and children had gone to bed hungry due to crop failures, he noted.
Such disasters “are being supercharged by human-made climate change,” the UN chief said.
“This is a story of avoidable injustice,” Guterres went on. “The rich cause the problem, the poor pay the highest price.” He called on countries worldwide to fulfil their promises and phase out fossil fuels which contribute to global warming.
He also said that countries must invest money to mitigate damages and losses and support the long-term financing of climate protection and adaptation in poorer countries, a key theme at the two-week meeting.
“Developing countries must not leave Baku empty-handed. A deal is a must – and I’m confident about it,” Guterres said.
Refugee time-bomb
The UN refugee agency on Tuesday warned of increasing refugee numbers from regions that are particularly affected by climate change if investments are not made to improve the environment.
“As climate shocks hit harder, more often and in more places, displaced people are increasingly finding themselves forced to move again and again in search of somewhere safe and habitable,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
His office, the UNHCR, said people flee in many regions due to violence and conflicts – but this is also fuelled by the struggle for resources that are dwindling due to climate change.
Drinking water sources are drying up, land is becoming barren, sea levels are rising and people have to look for their livelihoods elsewhere.
Most refugees flee to neighbouring countries that are themselves badly affected by climate change. According to the UNHCR, 75% of the 123 million people who had fled their homeland by the end of last year were in countries where the risk of climate change-related disasters was particularly high.
Many leaders absent from COP
Representatives from almost 200 states are attending the summit, which began on Monday.
Several leaders have decided to miss the conference, however, including French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva, whose country is to take over the COP presidency in 2025, is also absent from the talks.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meanwhile cancelled his trip to Baku due to the collapse of his governing coalition last week.
Non-governmental organizations fear that the summit will be overshadowed by Donald Trump’s election as US president last week. After his first election victory in 2016, Trump ordered the US to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.
GNA