2024-03-15 12:48:07
The pages of the British newspaper The Guardian published an opinion article by the President of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), Mukhtar Babayev, Day.Az reports.
“The year 2023 saw both global growth in coal-fired power generation and the rise in the use of electric vehicles. Increased demand for electricity and energy market-disrupting conflicts in Europe and the Middle East played a role. But it is a stark reminder that meeting commitments to sustain global “warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius requires a joint change in consumption, as well as the production of clean energy,” the article says.
According to him, a step towards this can be taken precisely at COP29 in Azerbaijan.
“It is necessary to create a mechanism for the transition from one COP agreement to the next. This began last month with the launch of the COP Troika, ensuring that Azerbaijan becomes the link in decision-making and implementation from the leadership of the 28th summit in the UAE to the 30th. in Brazil next year. It is also important that a bridge be created between the industrialized and developing parts of the world. The increased use of fossil fuels by developed countries last year is leading to increased hydrocarbon production in developing countries. This makes the transfer of green technology and financing, promised for this, but not yet received, are even more relevant. This means that Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the COP must, first of all, become a bridge that will connect the divergent aspirations of the global North and the global South,” Mukhtar Babayev noted.
As the President of COP29 emphasized, in order to reduce emissions in the energy sector, Azerbaijan joined the Global Methane Commitment. “Foundation work began last month on what will be part of one of the world’s largest solar panel installations, built on land cleared of landmines. This project, in turn, is part of an ambitious post-conflict reconstruction effort. Further development of solar and hydropower, and the use of 157 GW of offshore wind farms will shift the economy from oil and gas exports to renewable energy production exported to our neighbors and the European Union through the planned Caspian-Black Sea Green Energy Corridor. Azerbaijan has the financial resources to make this transition. However, international investment also plays a significant role in this transformation. Success elsewhere in the world will depend even more on external climate finance. The promises to act together made in Dubai by multilateral institutions, governments and the private sector must be kept.” – the article says.
Mukhtar Babayev noted that over the past two years, Europe, including with the help of Azerbaijan, has diversified sources of natural gas supplies and showed how quickly the energy transition can be accomplished with political will. “This shows how important it is for Azerbaijan, and indeed for any other country that would host COP29, to become a bridge between the developed and developing parts of the world. Unless this trusting relationship is restored, there is a danger of reducing, rather than accelerating, efforts to maintain a global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius. Confidence can be restored by setting a new climate finance target, which will then be confirmed at the next two COPs and beyond through the Troika mechanism. This should reflect the scale and urgency of the climate challenge and , just as importantly, to quickly release these funds to the countries that need them most. For those who doubt that this is achievable through confidence-building measures, one fact should be noted about the Azerbaijani presidency. “In December, Azerbaijan and Armenia took tangible steps to strengthen trust between the two countries. As a gesture of goodwill, Azerbaijan supported Armenia’s candidacy for membership in the COP Bureau of the Eastern European Group, while Armenia withdrew its candidacy to host the COP in order to support Azerbaijan’s application,” it noted. in the article.
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