Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan ecology and pure sources minister, attends a plenary session on the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit on Dec. 11, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Babayev has been named to steer the United Nations’ annual local weather talks later this yr, prompting concern from some local weather activists over his former ties to the state oil firm in a significant oil-producing nation.

Rafiq Maqbool/AP

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Rafiq Maqbool/AP

Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan ecology and pure sources minister, attends a plenary session on the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit on Dec. 11, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Babayev has been named to steer the United Nations’ annual local weather talks later this yr, prompting concern from some local weather activists over his former ties to the state oil firm in a significant oil-producing nation.

Rafiq Maqbool/AP

Azerbaijan’s ecology minister has been named to steer the United Nations’ annual local weather talks later this yr, prompting concern from some local weather activists over his former ties to the state oil firm in a significant oil-producing nation.

Mukhtar Babayev’s appointment was introduced on X by the United Arab Emirates, which hosted the local weather talks that simply resulted in December, and confirmed Friday by the United Nations. Officials in Azerbaijan didn’t instantly reply to messages looking for to verify the appointment.

Babayev, 56, has been his nation’s minister for ecology and pure sources since 2018. Before that, he labored at Azerbaijan’s state oil firm for greater than 20 years.

Similar concerns dogged Sultan al-Jaber, the pinnacle of the UAE’s nationwide oil firm, as he presided over the talks in Dubai known as COP28. The COP president is chargeable for operating talks and getting almost 200 nations to agree on a deal to assist restrict international warming, and skeptics questioned whether or not al-Jaber can be keen to confront the fossil fuels inflicting local weather change.

The convention in the end resulted in a ultimate settlement that for the primary time talked about fossil fuels as the reason for local weather change and acknowledged the need to transition away from them, but it surely had no concrete necessities to take action.

Oil and pure fuel herald round 90% of Azerbaijan’s export revenues and finance round 60% of the federal government finances, in response to the International Energy Agency. Climate activists stated the nation must look previous its personal fossil gas pursuits if it is going to host profitable talks.

Climate activists fear about an oil-producing state internet hosting talks

Mohamad Adow of local weather assume tank Power Shift Africa stated it is “concerning to be once again having the world’s climate negotiations coordinated by a petrostate that has a big interest in oil and gas production.” But he was hopeful that local weather negotiators could possibly be profitable in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku as “the COP in Dubai resulted in an outcome more positive than many expected.”

“He’s got a huge job to do,” stated Adow. “He needs to start working on getting rich countries to deliver serious, long-term finance that will tackle the climate crisis.”

Harjeet Singh, international engagement director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, stated that “with another petrostate hosting the climate conference, our concerns multiply.”

Babayev “must transcend the vested interests of the powerful fossil fuel industry that is primarily responsible for the climate crisis,” Singh stated.

Melanie Robinson, international director for the local weather program at World Resources Institute, did not remark straight on Babayev however stated “stakes will be high” in Azerbaijan, the place nations will sort out points together with the right way to finance local weather change adaptation and mitigation world wide, notably in poorer nations.

“As with all presidencies, the world will be looking to Azerbaijan to fairly facilitate the most ambitious outcome possible,” she stated.

The United Nations strikes the talks world wide with completely different areas taking turns. They’re usually introduced two years prematurely, however the determination to carry 2024 talks in Azerbaijan got here simply 11 months earlier than the negotiations are supposed to begin.

That was attributable to a longtime standoff between Eastern European nations, the area designated to host in 2024. A prisoner swap between Azerbaijan and Armenia in early December led to Armenia supporting Azerbaijan’s COP29 bid.