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Summary
Azerbaijan, the host of COP29, has been criticized for its climate action policies, which are deemed “critically insufficient” by Climate Action Tracker. The country’s greenhouse gas emissions are projected to rise by 20% by 2030, contradicting the Paris Agreement’s goals. The analysis reveals that Azerbaijan’s current targets are inconsistent with the necessary global efforts to limit warming to well below 2°C, raising concerns about its commitment to effective climate action.
Highlights -🌍
- Critically Insufficient Action: Azerbaijan’s climate policies are rated as “critically insufficient” to meet Paris Agreement goals. 🚫
- Rising Emissions: Projected greenhouse gas emissions are set to increase by 20% by 2030. 📈
- Fossil Fuel Dependence: The country heavily relies on oil and gas, which make up 90% of its exports. ⛽
- Dropped Targets: Azerbaijan removed its 2030 emissions reduction target in its latest NDC submission. ❌
- COP29 Criticism: The UN faces backlash for allowing a petrostate to host the critical climate summit. 🏛️
- Global Energy Needs: President Aliyev emphasizes gas production to meet EU energy demands. ⚡
- Lack of Fossil Fuel Phaseout Plan: No mention of phasing out fossil fuels in COP29’s Action Agenda. ❗
Current targets and policies will increase Azerbaijan’s greenhouse gas emissions by around 20% between now and 2030, Climate Action Tracker said on Wednesday. The COP29 host, a petrostate, came under fire last week for failing to mention the fossil fuel phaseout in its list of priorities for the upcoming summit.
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Azerbaijan, the country selected to host the year’s most important climate summit, is “moving backward” on climate action, an assessment of its climate policies revealed.
Conducted by Climate Action Tracker (CAT), an independent scientific project monitoring governments emissions reduction plans, the analysis concluded that the country’s policies and targets are “far from consistent” with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to “well below” 2C by the end of the century.
To avoid overshooting the Paris goal completely, the world would need to reduce emissions by 43% compared with levels in 2019. And yet, Azerbaijan’s greenhouse gas emissions are set to rise by 20% to 2030.
In its latest Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submission, the country pledged to achieve a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century compared to 1990 levels. However, it dropped a 2030 target that was included in its predecessor.
NDCs are national plans for emissions reduction that each signatory to the Paris Agreement is required to set up and update every five years. According to Article 4.3 of the agreement, each submission should be more ambitious than the previous ones.
