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The 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 29) will convene in November 2024. It will include the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 29), the 19th meeting of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the
Kyoto Protocol
(CMP 19), and the sixth meeting of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 6) that will convene to complete the first enhanced transparency framework and the new collective quantified goal on finance, among other matters.
The 61st sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 61) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 61) will also meet.
Dates: 11-22 November 2024
Location: Baku, Absheron, Azerbaijan
AZERNEWS 23 JANUARY 2024 - AZERBAIJAN SETS UP ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR COP29 -DECREE
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the establishment of the Organizational Committee in connection with the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (COP29), the 19th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, and the 6th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, Azernews reports.
Guided by Article 109, Paragraph 32 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan and with the aim of organizing and conducting COP29, the 19th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, and the 6th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the
Paris
Agreement, it was decreed to:
1. establish the Organizational Committee in connection with the hosting of COP29, the 19th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, and the 6th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement in the city of Baku in 2024 with the following composition:
Chairmen of the Organizational Committee:
Samir Nuriyev – Head of the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan
Members of the Organizational Committee:
Muhtar Babayev – Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, appointed by the President for COP29
Jeyhun Bayramov – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan
Mikayil Jabbarov – Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan
Vilayat Eyvazov – Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan
Anar Alakbarov – Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan
Hikmet Hajiyev – Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Issues of the Presidential Administration
Kamaladdin Heydarov – Minister of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan
Teymur Musayev – Minister of Health of Azerbaijan
Rashad Nabiyev – Minister of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan
Arif Samadov – Chief of the Protocol Service of the President of Azerbaijan
Parviz Shahbazov – Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan
Samir Sharifov – Minister of Finance of Azerbaijan
Shahin Baghirov – Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan
Vugar Ahmadov – Chairman of Azeryolservice Open Joint Stock Company
Ruslan Aliyev – General Director of Azerigas Production Association of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan
Eldar Azizov – Head of the Executive Authority of Baku
Vusal Huseynov – Chief of the State Migration Service of Azerbaijan
Anar Guliyev – Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture of Azerbaijan
Elchin Guliyev – Chief of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan
Vugar Gurbanov – Executive Director of the Association for the Management of Medical Territorial Units
Ulvi Mehdiyev – Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan
Saleh Mammadov – Chairman of the Board of the State Agency of Azerbaijan Automobile Roads
Zaur Mikayilov – Chairman of the State Agency for Water Resources of Azerbaijan
Ali Naghiyev – Head of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan
Fuad Naghiyev – Chairman of the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan
Balababa Rzayev – President of AzerEnergy Open Joint Stock Company
Samir Rzayev – First Vice President of Azerbaijan Airlines Closed Joint Stock Company
The Organizational Committee, established by Part 1 of this decree, was instructed:
2.1. to prepare and implement an Action Plan related to the organization and conduct of the COP29, the 19th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, and the 6th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement;
2.2. to take measures to establish an operational company.
3. The Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan was instructed to ensure financing in connection with the implementation of the Action Plan provided for in Part 2.1 of this decree and take measures to resolve other necessary issues.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST,
OR OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE?
This is the third time in a row that a major oil producing nation, as in one that is
substantially reliant on petroleum exports, has been elected to host a climate change conference. We wonder at the potential for conflicts of interest. Where, climate cooling depends on reducing
fossil fuel use. Meaning, that Azerbaijan's economy will suffer, during any transition. Except for the fact that the 'Windy City' could build wind farms to produce clean electricity. If, there was the political will.
And an increase in (zero emission) tourism could plug any gaps in
income.
Many
months ahead of the event in Azerbaijan, Egypt is hosting another of
their Egypes
Energy Shows, with an agenda that appears to be not that far removed
from COP29. Egypes
2024 beginning on the 19th February, is set to receive some 30,000
visitors and 2,000 delegates. With an impressive speaker line up for
their Egypes
2024 conferences. This Egyptian
energy event is focused on petroleum
producers and transitioning, with carbon offset mitigation and Net
Zero also on the agenda.
COP29 stands for the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is an annual meeting where countries discuss and negotiate actions to address the global climate
crisis.
According to the web search results, Azerbaijan has been announced as the host of COP29 after fraught negotiations. The conference is expected to take place in November 2024, following the previous summit in Dubai in
2023.
Azerbaijan is a country of 10 million people on the border of eastern Europe and western Asia. It relies economically on
fossil
fuels, which are the primary cause of the climate crisis. Some civil society organisations and climate activists have expressed concern over the choice of Azerbaijan as the host, citing its poor record on human rights and environmental issues.
According to web search results, the COP29 agenda is not yet finalized, but some of the possible topics include:
- Completing the first enhanced transparency framework and the new collective quantified goal on finance, as mandated by the Paris
Agreement.
-
Reviewing the progress and challenges of the global stocktake of the
2015 Paris climate
accord, which is a periodic assessment of the collective efforts and actions of the parties to address the climate
crisis.
-
Discussing the role and impact of the fossil fuel industry on the climate negotiations, especially in light of the host country’s reliance on oil and gas
production.
-
Addressing the gender imbalance and the need for more women’s participation and leadership in the climate talks, as highlighted by the She Changes Climate campaign
group.
WHAT
ARE THESE MEETING ALL ABOUT IN REALITY?
If
you believe they are about nations getting together to work out a way of
cooling the planet.
You are naive beyond belief. That assumes no conflicts of interest. And,
sadly, the hidden agendas are massive. Because, cooling the planet is
all about restraint. When most emerging nations, like India and China,
have massive modernization targets. Bringing with it, huge increases in
carbon footprints and gigantic consumption of fossil fuels, by fossil
fools.
So,
what are these meetings all about?
If
you think they are about each nation, pretending to want to cut energy
use and cooperate on that, but actually, trying to negotiate so that all
the other players cut their consumption, to allow them to keep
accelerating their economies, gambling they can remain in power long
enough to make a pile, before the planet is reduced to ashes. You are probably nearer
the mark.
How
do you get the competition to cut their energy consumption?
You
get up on the stage, with your best poker face and talk about global
warming, and how we must do more to try and meet Paris targets. You
don't actually mean it, well, maybe a small percentage of what they are
saying is
truthful. But actually, it is Bible thumping, with every intention of
returning home and fornicating with fossil fuels. Potentially the rotten
apple in the Garden of eden.
And
so, the 'hot air' and sometimes heated talks, continue to lurch forward, sloth like, while the
glaciers melt, sea levels
rise, the oceans become more
acid. Lung
cancer
rates increase from breathing in carcinogenic fumes, and desertification
continues apace.
All
of that is going on while bankers are funding oil production, and
selling money at a pace the planet cannot keep up with. And stashing the
cash. While all the rest of us work for a living.
Surely
then, banks, bankers and banking must be made to offer responsible
loans. Climate friendly loans, and Climate neutral loans. Perhaps with
grants from profits for sustainable endeavors. By way of a profits cap.
Something going back into the kitty from excessive profits. Bankers
should not be allowed to walk off with massive bonuses for selling more
money than the planet can afford.
No
nation should be allowed to print more money, not until they balance the
books on the last lot of paper promises. We've seen toilet tissue more
useful than some denominations.
Azerbaijan
could talk the talk and walk the walk, and confound all the pundits. We
have our fingers crossed for the Committee, during the task of preparing
for the negotiations in November.
For
the sake of the planet and all life
on earth, we hope that the forthcoming conference gives a much
needed shove to energy transitioning, and we mean is such a way, the the
economy of the host nation is protected, as far as is possible in
reaching a sustainable plateau. We are all brothers and sisters, sharing
the same DNA,
and all living on the same planet. And being the only truly intelligent life form
alive in our bubble, we owe it to all other life, flora and fauna, to
protect them and the wonderful blue home we inhabit, including
conserving all our incredible achievements. At least, for the foreseeable
future.
Remember
the dinosaurs.
Life on earth was almost extinguished roughly 65 million years ago. Like
the fictional John
Storm, perhaps we should compile a digital
DNA database. Just in case we accidentally slip up.
THE
ROOT OF ALL EVIL
Can
any solution be made simple?
All
countries could enforce a Moratorium on their National
Debts. With an international agreement to simply stop
paying, as one great big stab on the global warming brake
pedal. The World Bank can afford it. They don't need the money -
and it is only paper promises. Sometimes not even that. Sometimes just a
flow of electrons, from one computer to another.
In
the event of an international Moratorium, there should be no more borrowing for Empire building.
Currency should be balanced against just one planet. Not the 2.4 planets
we have been burning up.
THE
BOGUS STANDARD
Bogus
paper currencies and printing money, is mainly responsible for
superheating economies, bearing no relation at all to what the real
world can produce sustainably. This is all the fault of Bankers and
Banking, persuading politicians to allow them to sell nothing, for
something. This virtually unregulated international borrowing (issue of
pretend money), is way above the
means of countries to repay, causing massive national debts - and
corresponding climate change, as carbon footprints increase.
What
we need is a Green-Dollar, a reversion to Gold-Standard days, except
index linked to agricultural produce and renewable energy production.
Such a mechanism will have a natural braking effect on fat cats looking
for a free lunch at the expense of working people, as the banks leach on
the genuine producers in society.
It
is the wealthy billionaires who are giving nothing
back, as they stockpile in competition with other wealthy combatants. With
politicians in the pockets of those contributing to party funds, to keep
a dysfunctional system going. Hence, apart from a $Green-Dollar, we may
also need a Wealth
Tax regulating system. With such taxes going to pay off national debts, 100%
transparently, and corruption free. If all countries unanimously
declared a debt Moratorium, with each of them devaluing their currency,
we'd have an inflation free world. Provided, that those doing so,
stopped building empires. We must stop using:
1.
Houses that reek of CO2.
2.
Cars and trucks that pump toxic gases into the atmosphere
3.
Ships that pollute the air
4.
Factories that swallow energy like there is no tomorrow
And,
immediately:
5.
Ban coal for domestic and export energy production
6.
Embark on a wind turbine and PV farm building programme
7.
Engage more proactively in electric and hydrogen infrastructure.
8.
Plant more trees in sustainable fashion to exceed use threefold
9.
Monitor politicians and civil servants for bribes and favours using
anti-money laundering algorithms
10.
Signed up to a $Green or $Agri dollar, index linked to sustainable food
and energy production
It
won't happen of course. Because the World
Bank and International
Monetary Fund (IMF) are the greed driven culprits, who have
engineered the present climate crisis, in fueling kleptocratic empire
building. Instead of cautious restraint.
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN
Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is 28 metres (92 ft) below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world and also the largest city in the world below sea level. Baku lies on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, on the Bay of Baku. Baku's urban population was estimated at two million people as of 2009. Baku is the primate city of Azerbaijan
- it is the sole metropolis in the country, and about 25% of all inhabitants of the country live in Baku's metropolitan area.
Baku is divided into twelve administrative raions and 48 townships. Among these are the townships on the islands of the Baku Archipelago, as well as the industrial settlement of Neft Daşları built on oil rigs 60 kilometres (37 miles) away from Baku city in the Caspian Sea. The Old City, containing the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the Maiden Tower, was designated as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
The city is the scientific, cultural, and industrial centre of Azerbaijan. Many sizeable Azerbaijani institutions have their headquarters there. In the 2010s, Baku became a venue for major international events. It hosted the 57th Eurovision Song Contest in 2012, the 2015 European Games, 4th Islamic Solidarity Games, the European Grand Prix in 2016, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix since 2017, the final of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, and was one of the host cities for UEFA Euro 2020. The Baku International Sea Trade Port is capable of handling two million tonnes of general and dry bulk cargoes per year. Baku is renowned for its harsh winds, reflected in its nickname, the "City of Winds".
DISCOVERY OF OIL
The Russians built the first oil-distilling factory in Balaxani in 1837. The first person to drill oil in Baku was an ethnic Armenian Ivan Mirzoev, who is also known as a 'founding father of Baku's oil industry.' Digging for oil began in the 1840s, with the first oil well drilled in the Bibi-Heybat suburb of Baku in 1846. It was mechanically drilled, though a number of hand-dug wells pre-dated it. Large-scale oil exploration started in 1872 when Russian imperial authorities auctioned parcels of oil-rich land around Baku to private investors. The pioneer of oil extracting from the bottom of the sea was the Polish geologist Witold Zglenicki. Soon after, investors appeared in Baku, including the Nobel Brothers in 1873 and the Rothschilds in 1882. An industrial area of oil refineries, better known as Black Town (Russian: Чёрный город), developed near Baku by the early 1880s.
Professor A. V. Williams Jackson of Columbia University wrote in his work From Constantinople to the Home of Omar Khayyam (1911):
Baku is a city founded upon oil, for to its inexhaustible founts of naphtha it owes its very existence, its maintenance, its prosperity... At present Baku produces one-fifth of the oil that is used in the world, and the immense output in crude petroleum from this single city far surpasses that in any other district where oil is found. Verily, the words of the Scriptures find illustration here: 'the rock poured me out rivers of oil. Oil is in the air one breathes, in one's nostrils, in one's eyes, in the water of the morning bath (though not in the drinking water, for that is brought in bottles from distant mineral springs), in one's starched linen – everywhere. This is the impression one carries away from Baku, and it is certainly true in the environs.
By the beginning of the 20th century, half of the oil sold in international markets was extracted in Baku. The oil boom contributed to the massive growth of Baku. Between 1856 and 1910 Baku's population grew at a faster rate than that of London, Paris or New York.
Unrest at the time of the 1905 Revolution resulted in massacres among the population and the destruction of many oil facilities.
ECONOMY
Baku's largest industry is petroleum, and its petroleum exports make it a large contributor to Azerbaijan's balance of payments. The existence of petroleum has been known since the 8th century. In the 10th century, the Arabian traveler, Marudee, reported that both white and black oil were being extracted naturally from Baku. By the 15th century, oil for lamps was obtained from hand-dug surface wells.
Commercial exploitation began in 1872, and by the beginning of the 20th century the Baku oil fields were the largest in the world. Towards the end of the 20th century, much of the onshore
petroleum had been exhausted, and drilling had extended into the sea offshore. By the end of the 19th century skilled workers and specialists flocked to Baku. By 1900 the city had more than 3,000 oil wells, of which 2,000 were producing oil at industrial levels. Baku ranked as one of the largest centres for the production of oil industry equipment before
World War
II. The World War II Battle of Stalingrad was fought to determine who would have control of Baku oil fields. Fifty years before the battle, Baku produced half of the world's oil supply.
The oil economy of Baku is undergoing a resurgence, with the development of the massive Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli field (Shallow water Gunashli by SOCAR, deeper areas by a consortium led by BP), development of the Shah Deniz gas field, the expansion of the Sangachal Terminal and the construction of the BTC Pipeline.
The Baku Stock Exchange is Azerbaijan's largest stock exchange, and largest in the Caucasian region by market capitalization. A relatively large number of transnational companies are headquartered in Baku. One of the more prominent institutions headquartered in Baku is the International Bank of Azerbaijan, which employs over 1,000 people. International banks with branches in Baku include
HSBC, Société Générale and Credit Suisse.
ABOUT AZERBAIJAN
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by the
Caspian Sea to the east, Russia (Republic of Dagestan) to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. Baku is the capital and largest city.
The territory of what is now the modern Republic of Azerbijan was first ruled by Caucasian Albania and later various Persian empires. Up until the 19th century, it remained part of Qajar Iran but the Russo-Persian wars of 1804–1813 and 1826–1828, forced the Qajar empire to cede its Caucasian territories to the Russian Empire; the treaties of Gulistan in 1813 and Turkmenchay in 1828 defined the border between Czarist Russia and Qajar Iran. The region north of the Aras was Iranian until it was occupied by Russia during the 19th century. According to the Treaty of Turkmenchay, Qajar Iran recognized Russian sovereignty over the Erivan, Nakhchivan and Talysh Khanates (the last parts of Azerbaijan still in Iranian hands). The area was part of the Caucasus Viceroyalty.
By the late 19th century, an Azerbaijani national identity emerged with the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic proclaimed its independence from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic in 1918, a year after the Russian Empire collapsed, and became the first secular democratic Muslim-majority state. In 1920, the country was incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Azerbaijan SSR. The modern Republic of Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence on 30 August 1991, shortly before the dissolution of the
Soviet Union in the same year.
In September 1991, the ethnic Armenian majority of the Nagorno-Karabakh region formed the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh. The region and seven surrounding districts are internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, pending a solution to the status of Nagorno-Karabakh through negotiations facilitated by the OSCE, although it became de facto independent with the end of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994. Following the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, the seven districts and parts of Nagorno-Karabakh were returned to Azerbaijani control. An Azerbaijani offensive in 2023 resulted in the Republic of Artsakh agreeing to dissolve itself and the flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians.
Azerbaijan is a unitary semi-presidential republic. It is one of six independent Turkic states and an active member of the Organization of Turkic States and the TÜRKSOY community. Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 182 countries and holds membership in 38 international organizations, including the
United
Nations, the Council of Europe, the Non-Aligned Movement, the OSCE, and the
NATO PfP program. It is one of the founding members of GUAM, the CIS, and the OPCW. Azerbaijan is also an observer state of the WTO.
The vast majority of the country's population (97%) is nominally Muslim, but the constitution does not declare an official religion and all major political forces in the country are secular. Azerbaijan is a developing country and ranks 91st on the
Human Development Index. The ruling New Azerbaijan Party, in power since 1993, has been accused of authoritarianism under president Heydar Aliyev and his son Ilham Aliyev, and deteriorating the country's human rights record, including increasing restrictions on civil liberties, particularly on press freedom and political repression.
NATIONAL ART MUSEUM OFFERS INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE FOR YOUNG VISITORS
Azerbaijan National Art Museum has been always attractive to visitors with its diverse collection and engaging exhibitions.
Founded in 1937, National Art Museum offers art connoisseurs some of the best examples of decorative-applied arts of Western Europe.
Over 3,000 items in 60 rooms are on permanent display at the museum and around 12,000 items are kept in storage. Here, you can see masterpieces of the Italian, French, German and Polish masters of brush.
The museum has successfully organized and hosted numerous high-level international exhibitions, showcasing the works of renowned artists. These exhibitions have not only attracted art enthusiasts but have also contributed to the cultural exchange between Azerbaijan and other countries.
The National Art Museum recently signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Georgian National Art Museum.
The memorandum reflects such areas of activity as exhibition exchange; holding conferences, seminars, training related to museum work; exchange of experience in the protection, conservation and restoration of movable cultural property, creation of electronic catalogs; cooperation within the framework of international programs and projects, etc.
Earlier, the National Art Museum started cooperation with the Aegean University in Izmir,Turkiye. The partnership aimed at strengthening cultural ties and promoting relations between the two countries.
The museum continues to enthrall both adults and children alike. In its latest endeavor, the museum is preparing an exciting new project specifically for young visitors.
The National Art Museum is launching a new project called "Art history for children". Within the project, children will immerse themselves in the world of art full of adventures and travel to different eras.
In the project, which includes Azerbaijani and world art, children will gain new knowledge about the history of art from ancient times to the present day, listen to lectures, and get acquainted with masterpieces that have influenced history and culture.
The event starts with "Ancient Egyptian art", one of the richest civilizations in human history. In the program, which will be held on Saturdays and Sundays in January, children will discover the history of Egyptian art, the magnificent
pyramids, the mysterious world of the pharaohs, clothing style of the ancient Egyptians, etc.
The young history enthusiasts will learn more about pharaoh's mask, chest decoration-pectoral and other decorative accessories.
The Azerbaijan National Art Museum promises to be an enriching and unforgettable experience.
INTERNATIONAL
FINANCIAL MORATORIUM - Why not just cancel all debts, in return for
pledges not to build any more houses, factories, vehicles and vessels,
that are not 100% zero emission. The banks do not need the money - and
it is only paper. They are the drivers of global warming. Just stop the
clock!
The
rate of temperature rise is way out of control, with countries like
India, increasing
oil production, instead of investing in clean electricity. He may be
banking on the fact this his country is used to higher temperatures, so
may be able to brave the scorched earth that his policies appear to be
creating. India is also addicted to coal, so well and truly satiated
with fossil fools. Sanctions should be applied to his Fordist: Red
Growth tactics. China has been going at it bull-at-a-gate. Also,
teetering on massive default on loans, from crazy property development
schemes. Doomed to fail.
HUMAN RIGHTS
The Constitution of Azerbaijan claims to guarantee freedom of speech, but this is
denied in practice allegedly. After several years of decline in press and media freedom, in 2014, the media environment in Azerbaijan deteriorated rapidly under a governmental campaign to silence any opposition and criticism, even while the country led the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (May–November 2014). Spurious legal charges and impunity in violence against journalists have remained the norm. All foreign broadcasts are banned in the country.
Though, why that should be remains unexplained.
According to the 2013 Freedom House Freedom of the Press report, Azerbaijan's press freedom status is "not free", and Azerbaijan ranks 177th out of 196 countries.
If that is so, then improvement is on the cards. Of course that was ten
years ago.
Christianity is officially recognized. All religious communities are required to register to be allowed to meet, under the risk of imprisonment. This registration is often denied. "Racial discrimination contributes to the country's lack of religious freedom, since many of the Christians are ethnic Armenian or Russian, rather than Azeri Muslim".
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America are banned in Azerbaijan. Discrimination against LGBT people in Azerbaijan is widespread.
The Absheron Peninsula (Azerbaijani: Abşeron yarımadası) is a peninsula in Azerbaijan. It is the location of Baku, the biggest and the most populous city of the country, and also the Baku metropolitan area, with its satellite cities Sumqayit and Khyrdalan.
There are three districts, of which two are urban (Baku and Sumqayit) and one is suburban (Absheron Rayon).
It extends 60 km (37 mi) eastward into the Caspian Sea, and reaches a maximum width of 30 km (19 mi). Though technically the easternmost extension of the Caucasus Mountains, the landscape is only mildly hilly, a gently undulating plain that ends in a long spit of sand dunes known as Shah Dili, and now declared the Absheron National Park. In this part, the peninsula is dissected by ravines and characterized by frequent salt lakes.
In
recent years, three journalists were killed and several prosecuted in trials described as unfair by international
human rights organizations. Azerbaijan had the biggest number of journalists imprisoned in Europe in 2015, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, and is the 5th most censored country in the world, ahead of Iran and China. Some critical journalists have been arrested for their coverage of the
COVID-19 pandemic in Azerbaijan.
A report by an Amnesty International researcher in October 2015 points to "...the severe deterioration of human rights in Azerbaijan over the past few years. Sadly Azerbaijan has been allowed to get away with unprecedented levels of repression and in the process almost wipe out its civil
society." Amnesty's 2015/16 annual report on the country stated "... persecution of political dissent continued. Human rights organizations remained unable to resume their work. At least 18 prisoners of conscience remained in detention at the end of the year. Reprisals against independent journalists and activists persisted both in the country and abroad, while their family members also faced harassment and arrests. International human rights monitors were barred and expelled from the country. Reports of torture and other ill-treatment persisted."
The Guardian reported in April 2017 that "Azerbaijan's ruling elite operated a secret $2.9bn (£2.2bn) scheme to pay prominent Europeans, buy luxury goods and launder money through a network of opaque British companies.
Leaked data shows that the Azerbaijani leadership, accused of serial human rights abuses, systemic corruption and rigging elections, made more than 16,000 covert payments from 2012 to 2014. Some of this money went to politicians and journalists, as part of an international lobbying operation to deflect criticism of Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, and to promote a positive image of his oil-rich country." There was no suggestion that all recipients were aware of the source of the money as it arrived via a disguised route.
Such marketing may also be legitimate, as part of ordinary promotions.
The
Absheron Peninsula - Baku, Azerbaijan, Caspian Sea
The annual conferences bring together those that signed the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - an international environmental treaty addressing climate change - 30 years ago.
Every UN member state is a signatory for the UNFCCC, as well as Palestine, the Cook Islands and Niue. The Holy See is also an observer of the treaty. Effectively every nation, country, or state in the world is involved, giving a total of 197 signatory parties.
EU
CLEANUP MISSION - The
world needs to fast-forward to hydrogen powered ocean transport, like
this solar assisted trimaran, now an EU Mission, in the fight to clean
up rivers and the ocean. The Elizabeth Swann is presently at the 1:20
proof of concept stage. When built, it is hoped the vessel will set new
performance records, then retire as a technology showpiece, also to be
used as the Queen
of the Nile, in a film about Cleopatra
VII, as part of an Orange
growth project.
CONTACTS
AZ 1000, Baku, Uzeyir Hajibeyov street 84
E-mail:
azeriartmuseum@gmail.com
Phone: (+994 12) 492-57-89 - (+994 12) 492-50-19
SIX
(SUGGESTED) STEPS TOWARD A COOLER PLANET - FOR ENLIGHTENED
NATIONS
1. TRANSPORT: Phase
out polluting vehicles. Governments aim to end the sale of new petrol
and diesel vehicles
by 2040 but have no infrastructure plan to support such
ambition. Such infrastructure should exceed the performance of fossil
fuel filling stations, prolong EV battery
life and provide power grids with a measure of load leveling.
Any such system should seek to obviate the provision of
millions of fast charge points to include fuel
cell cars, where implementation could otherwise
prove to be a logistical nightmare. This may involve
international agreement as to energy storage format and
statute to steer OEM vehicle makers to collaborate as to
future proofing, to include green
hydrogen.
Marine
transport can be carbon
neutral given the right
policy incentives, with
phased transition in specific stages such as not to unduly
penalize present investment in LNG shipping
and other recent MARPOL compliant IC powered
vessels. Future cargo vessel should be at least in part
powered by renewable solar
and/or wind energy, on the road to zero
carbon, making allowances for technology
catch-up. A scrappage
scheme might encourage fleet operators to accelerate
shipping upgrades, and a fund for radical innovation that
would not otherwise qualify under in-situ programmes (such as Horizon
Europe) might be introduced - with fast-track, reduced,
form-filling and open-loop decision making, such that
applications may be tweaked rather than struck out.
Air travel
powered by kerosene should attract hefty mitigation offset,
where low carbon alternatives should be encouraged such as electric
air transport.
2. RENEWABLES: Renewable
energy should replace carbon-based fuels
(coal, oil and gas)
in our electricity for homes, factories, heating and
transport. Coal and nuclear
power plants should be phased out.
3. HOUSING: On
site micro or macro generation is the best option, starting
with new build homes that are both affordable and sustainable
by design to replace crumbling housing stocks. Encourage
building in timber to
provide carbon lock from a renewable natural resource.
Planning policies should be updated to outlaw unsustainable
development, with harsh financial penalties for kleptocratic
local authorities, especially those with a history of corrupt
practices (from historic similar fact evidence files).
4. AGRICULTURE: We
need to grow more trees to
absorb carbon emissions from a growing
population, unregulated/unrestricted air
travel. New homes should be timber where practical as a
priority. We should
promote reductions in food waste and the eating of foods that use
less energy to produce. Educate children on these matters in schools and
via campaigns such as no
meat Mondays, should be part of ordinary
study. Polluted fish from fisheries, might be replaced with
fish farmed by aquaculture inland, rather than risk carcinogens
from our seas.
5. INDUSTRY: Factories
should be aiming for solar heating and onsite renewable energy generation.
EV parking and even service facilities should be part of new
industrial estates as part of any building permissions - with
subsidies or tax reductions as incentives to property
developers.
6. POLITICS:
- National governing bodies need to
adopt rules to eliminate administrative wastages, to include
scaling down spending on (showboat) war machines, increasing spend on
educating the public and supporting sustainable social
policies that mesh with other cultures. This includes
fostering policies and making funds available to close links
in the technology chain to make up for lost time. Kleptocratic empire
building must cease in the search for natural
equilibrium. Most important of all, corruption
must cease in favour of 100% transparency, with politicians, civil
servants and procurement contracts, the subject of anti-money-laundering
computer checks, using the same algorithms to combat terrorism. Because,
corruption is the enemy of a truly sustainable Circular
Economy, otherwise known as Blue
Growth Economics.
Human Rights
activist, Rashadat Akhundov was sentenced 8 years Imprisonment in Azerbaijan
THE
PARIS ACCORD - REMINDER
At COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015, Parties to the UNFCCC reached a landmark agreement to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future. The Paris Agreement builds upon the Convention and – for the first time – brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so. As such, it charts a new course in the global climate effort.
The Paris Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the agreement aims to increase the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change, and at making finance flows consistent with a low GHG emissions and climate-resilient pathway. To reach these ambitious goals, appropriate mobilization and provision of financial resources, a new technology framework and enhanced capacity-building is to be put in place, thus supporting action by developing countries and the most vulnerable countries, in line with their own national objectives. The Agreement also provides for an enhanced transparency framework for action and support.
The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to put forward their best efforts through “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) and to strengthen these efforts in the years ahead. This includes requirements that all Parties report regularly on their emissions and on their implementation efforts. There will also be a global stocktake every 5 years to assess the collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the agreement and to inform further individual actions by Parties.
The Paris Agreement opened for signature on 22 April 2016 – Earth Day – at UN Headquarters in New York. It entered into force on 4 November 2016, 30 days after the so-called “double threshold” (ratification by 55 countries that account for at least 55% of global emissions) had been met. Since then, more countries have ratified and continue to ratify the Agreement, reaching a total of 125 Parties in early 2017. The current number of ratifications can be found here.
In order to make the Paris Agreement fully operational, a work programme was launched in Paris to develop modalities, procedures and guidelines on a broad array of issues. Since 2016, Parties work together in the subsidiary bodies (APA, SBSTA and SBI) and various constituted bodies. The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) met for the first time in conjunction with COP 22 in Marrakesh (in November 2016) and adopted its first two decisions. The work programme is expected to be completed by 2018.
The Paris Agreement, adopted through Decision 1/CP.21, addresses crucial areas necessary to combat climate change. Some of the key aspects of the Agreement are set out below:
Long-term temperature goal (Art. 2) – The Paris Agreement, in seeking to strengthen the global response to climate change, reaffirms the goal of limiting global temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius, while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees.
Global peaking and 'climate neutrality' (Art. 4) –To achieve this temperature goal, Parties aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) as soon as possible, recognizing peaking will take longer for developing country Parties, so as to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of GHGs in the second half of the century.
Mitigation (Art. 4) – The Paris Agreement establishes binding commitments by all Parties to prepare, communicate and maintain a nationally determined contribution (NDC) and to pursue domestic measures to achieve them. It also prescribes that Parties shall communicate their NDCs every 5 years and provide information necessary for clarity and transparency. To set a firm foundation for higher ambition, each successive NDC will represent a progression beyond the previous one and reflect the highest possible ambition. Developed countries should continue to take the lead by undertaking absolute economy-wide reduction targets, while developing countries should continue enhancing their mitigation efforts, and are encouraged to move toward economy-wide targets over time in the light of different national circumstances.
Sinks and reservoirs (Art.5) –The Paris Agreement also encourages Parties to conserve and enhance, as appropriate, sinks and reservoirs of GHGs as referred to in Article 4, paragraph 1(d) of the Convention, including forests.
Voluntary cooperation/Market- and non-market-based approaches (Art. 6) – The Paris Agreement recognizes the possibility of voluntary cooperation among Parties to allow for higher ambition and sets out principles – including environmental integrity, transparency and robust accounting – for any cooperation that involves internationally transferal of mitigation outcomes. It establishes a mechanism to contribute to the mitigation of GHG emissions and support sustainable development, and defines a framework for non-market approaches to sustainable development.
Adaptation (Art. 7) – The Paris Agreement establishes a global goal on adaptation – of enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change in the context of the temperature goal of the Agreement. It aims to significantly strengthen national adaptation efforts, including through support and international cooperation. It recognizes that adaptation is a global challenge faced by all. All Parties should engage in adaptation, including by formulating and implementing National Adaptation Plans, and should submit and periodically update an adaptation communication describing their priorities, needs, plans and actions. The adaptation efforts of developing countries should be recognized
Loss and damage (Art. 8) – The Paris Agreement recognizes the importance of averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including extreme weather events and slow onset events, and the role of sustainable development in reducing the risk of loss and damage. Parties are to enhance understanding, action and support, including through the Warsaw International Mechanism, on a cooperative and facilitative basis with respect to loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change.
Finance, technology and capacity-building support (Art. 9, 10 and 11) – The Paris Agreement reaffirms the obligations of developed countries to support the efforts of developing country Parties to build clean, climate-resilient futures, while for the first time encouraging voluntary contributions by other Parties. Provision of resources should also aim to achieve a balance between adaptation and mitigation. In addition to reporting on finance already provided, developed country Parties commit to submit indicative information on future support every two years, including projected levels of public finance. The agreement also provides that the Financial Mechanism of the Convention, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), shall serve the Agreement. International cooperation on climate-safe technology development and transfer and building capacity in the developing world are also strengthened: a technology framework is established under the Agreement and capacity-building activities will be strengthened through, inter alia, enhanced support for capacity building actions in developing country Parties and appropriate institutional arrangements.
Climate change
education, training as well as public awareness, participation and access to information
(Art 12) is also to be enhanced under the Agreement.
Climate change education, training, public
awareness, public participation and public access to information
(Art 12) is also to be enhanced under the Agreement.
Transparency (Art. 13), implementation and compliance (Art. 15) – The Paris Agreement relies on a robust transparency and accounting system to provide clarity on action and support by Parties, with flexibility for their differing capabilities of Parties. In addition to reporting information on mitigation, adaptation and support, the Agreement requires that the information submitted by each Party undergoes international technical expert review. The Agreement also includes a mechanism that will facilitate implementation and promote compliance in a non-adversarial and non-punitive manner, and will report annually to the CMA.
Global Stocktake (Art. 14) – A “global stocktake”, to take place in 2023 and every 5 years thereafter, will assess collective progress toward achieving the purpose of the Agreement in a comprehensive and facilitative manner. It will be based on the best available science and its long-term global goal. Its outcome will inform Parties in updating and enhancing their actions and support and enhancing international cooperation on climate action.
Decision 1/CP.21 also sets out a number of measures to enhance action prior to 2020, including strengthening the technical examination process, enhancement of provision of urgent finance, technology and support and measures to strengthen high-level engagement. For 2018 a facilitative dialogue is envisaged to take stock of collective progress towards the long-term emission reduction goal of Art 4. The decision also welcomes the efforts of all non-Party stakeholders to address and respond to climate change, including those of civil society, the private sector, financial institutions, cities and other subnational authorities. These stakeholders are invited to scale up their efforts and showcase them via the Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action platform (http://climateaction.unfccc.int). Parties also recognized the need to strengthen the knowledge, technologies, practices and efforts of local communities and indigenous peoples, as well as the important role of providing incentives through tools such as domestic policies and carbon pricing.
Azerbaijan
Navy vessel at the city of Baku
COP
OUT 28 DIRTY DOZEN - IN ORDER OF CO2, METHANE GLOBAL % VOLUME
& COAL FIRED INSANITY
|
Chinese
President
Xi
Jinping
|
US
President
Joe
Biden
|
EU
President
Ursula
von der Leyen
|
Indian
PM (Russian Ally?)
Narendra
Modi
|
|
Vladimir
Putin (War Criminal)
Russian
PM
|
Japanese
PM
Fumio Kishida
|
Han
Duck-soo
South
Korean PM
|
Mohammed bin Salman
Saudi
Arabian Crown Prince
|
|
Justin
Trudeau
Canadian
PM
|
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Brazilian
PM
|
Joko Widodo
Indonesian
President
|
Anthony
Albanese
Australian
PM
|
1995 COP
1,
BERLIN, GERMANY
1996 COP
2, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1997 COP
3, KYOTO, JAPAN
1998 COP
4, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
1999 COP
5, BONN, GERMANY
2000:COP
6, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
2001 COP
7, MARRAKECH, MOROCCO
2002 COP
8, NEW DELHI, INDIA
2003 COP
9, MILAN, ITALY
2004 COP
10, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
2005 COP
11/CMP 1, MONTREAL, CANADA
2006 COP
12/CMP 2, NAIROBI, KENYA
2007 COP
13/CMP 3, BALI, INDONESIA
2008 COP
14/CMP 4, POZNAN, POLAND
2009
COP 15/CMP 5, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
2010 COP
16/CMP 6, CANCUN, MEXICO
2011 COP
17/CMP 7, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
2012 COP
18/CMP 8, DOHA, QATAR
2013 COP
19/CMP 9, WARSAW, POLAND
2014 COP
20/CMP 10, LIMA, PERU
2015 COP
21/CMP 11, Paris, France
2016 COP
22/CMP 12/CMA 1, Marrakech, Morocco
2017 COP
23/CMP 13/CMA 2, Bonn, Germany
2018 COP
24/CMP 14/CMA 3, Katowice, Poland
2019 COP
25/CMP 15/CMA 4, Santiago, Chile
2020
COP 26/CMP 16/CMA 5, Glasgow, Scotland
2021
COP 26/ Glasgow, Scotland 1-12 November
2022
COP 27/ Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, 6-18 November
2023
COP 28/ Expo City, Dubai, UAE, 30 Nov - 12 Dec
2024
COP 29/ Absheron, Baku, Azerbaijan 11 - 24 November
CONTACTS
Floor 3
2 America Square,
London EC3N 2LU
United Kingdom
TEL: +44 (0)20 7871 0173
FAX: +44 (0)20 7871 0101
e-mail: secretariat@unfccc.int
www: https://unfccc.int/calendar/events-list
https://www.azernews.az/nation/220291.html
https://www.azernews.az/nation/220291.html
https://sdg.iisd.org/events/2024-un-climate-change-conference-unfccc-cop-29/
https://sdg.iisd.org/events/2024-un-climate-change-conference-unfccc-cop-29/
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