For the Azerbaijani regime, hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku represents a chance to obscure its poor climate record and relentless attacks on civil society. In reality, the government seems far more interested in capitalizing on rising fossil-fuel demand than in combating global warming.
ISTANBUL – On November 11, thousands of world leaders, international stakeholders, and civil-society advocates kicked off the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku. With greenhouse-gas emissions rising even as global warming intensifies, this year’s summit rightly placed climate finance at the top of the agenda. But the location is far from ideal: the Azerbaijani regime is betting that it can use the gathering to greenwash its climate record and increasingly repressive policies.
ISTANBUL – On November 11, thousands of world leaders, international stakeholders, and civil-society advocates kicked off the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku. With greenhouse-gas emissions rising even as global warming intensifies, this year’s summit rightly placed climate finance at the top of the agenda. But the location is far from ideal: the Azerbaijani regime is betting that it can use the gathering to greenwash its climate record and increasingly repressive policies.