Why Azerbaijan’s Climate Plan Submission Delay Raises Concerns?

Azerbaijan, the country that hosted COP29, last year’s United Nations climate summit will deliver its overdue climate action plan by September, COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev told Reuters. He also said the country is working on its plans to advance its green energy transition.

Contrary to its claim of using its presidency of the annual UN talks to lead by example and persuade countries to submit national climate plans aligned with the UN goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, Azerbaijan like most of the other countries has failed to submit its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) or climate action plans by the original February deadline. Observing this failure of submission, the UN extended the deadline to September.

"It is very easy to declare something," Babayev told Reuters, adding that countries may have delayed submission of their NDCs due to the need for more preparation into developing their programmes.  

He shared that Azerbaijan was developing a comprehensive programme on a transition to a lower carbon economy and would submit its plan by September.

Green Energy Plans Unfold

As reported by Reuters, campaigners are concerned about the dipping momentum of global efforts to tackle climate change after the United States President Donald Trump backed out from the United Nations' efforts. Additionally, according to reports, big businesses in US have abandoned sustainability goals.

Babayev told Reuters that Azerbaijan was working towards a goal to generate 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and planned to increase its solar capacity, as well as seeking to export offshore wind from the Caspian Sea to EU customers.

"For us, it's so important to demonstrate how the country with a big oil and gas history (has) now turned the economy to the green energy direction," he said.

As COP29 host, Azerbaijan's ambitious green energy projects, including those in disputed territories, have drawn scrutiny from human rights groups and environmental advocates, as reported by The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian.