Azerbaijan faces challenges as host of global climate summit

Azerbaijan will host this year's global climate summit, COP29, highlighting the country's complex position as a major oil and gas producer amidst calls for reducing fossil fuel dependency.

Max Bearak reports for The New York Times.

In short:

• Azerbaijan, heavily reliant on fossil fuels, is hosting COP29, the United Nations climate summit, despite having little experience in global climate politics.
• Mukhtar Babayev, the event's president, must navigate the interests of oil-producing nations and vulnerable island states as Azerbaijan faces pressure to transition to renewable energy.
• Azerbaijan argues that wealthy countries should provide financial support to help less developed nations transition to cleaner energy.

Key quote:

“If the European countries are against gas, then why do they request more from Azerbaijan?”

— Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 president

Why this matters:

As climate change worsens, countries like Azerbaijan face challenges in balancing economic reliance on fossil fuels with the urgent need for climate action. The summit will test Azerbaijan's ability to contribute to global climate efforts and navigate its economic dependencies.