Footage has been released showing COP29’s chief Elnur Soltanov discussing gas and oil deals.
During the COP29 climate change conference in Azerbaijan, Elnur Soltanov, the chief executive of Azerbaijan’s COP29 team, was caught on tape discussing potential fossil fuel deals with a man posing as a potential investor.
The former head of the UN body responsible for climate talks condemned Soltanov’s actions as “completely unacceptable” and a “betrayal” of the COP process.
Reuters
Baku is hosting this year’s COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference
Soltanov, in addition to being the chief executive of COP29, also serves as the deputy energy minister of Azerbaijan and sits on the board of Socar.
Azerbaijan’s COP29 team has not yet responded to requests for comment.
It was revealed that oil and gas make up about half of Azerbaijan’s total economy and over 90% of its exports.
The COP29 summit will commence in Baku on Monday, where governments will discuss strategies to combat climate change and increase global ambition to address the issue.
This is the second consecutive year that the BBC has uncovered alleged misconduct by the host government.
Documents and secret video recordings obtained by human rights organization, Global Witness, have shed light on the unethical behavior of the COP29 team.
Soltanov was seen in the recordings discussing investment opportunities with the potential sponsor, highlighting Azerbaijan’s plans to increase gas production and develop new pipeline infrastructure.
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has emphasized the incompatibility of developing new oil and gas fields with limiting global warming to 1.5C.
Figueres, who was instrumental in the Paris agreement, condemned the actions of COP29 officials engaging in fossil fuel deals as a betrayal of the COP process.
Emails between the COP29 team and fake investors revealed discussions on a sponsorship deal in exchange for involvement in an event about sustainable oil and gas investing during COP29.
Azerbaijan’s COP29 team and Socar have been contacted for comment by the BBC.
Ninguno respondió a las peticiones.
Los hallazgos vienen un año después de que la BBC obtuviera documentos filtrados que revelaron planes de los EAU de usar su papel como anfitrión de la COP28 para firmar acuerdos de petróleo y gas.
COP28 fue la primera vez que se llegó a un acuerdo sobre la necesidad de transición lejos de los combustibles fósiles.
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