In Azerbaijan, the oil is affordable, the skyscsexual attackrs are shaped enjoy fire and donuts, and the ruling elite have got rich rapid from its ample fossil fuels. It could be the Dubai of the Caspian Sea.
This createer Soviet state is consecrateed with such ample fossil fuels it oozes out of the soil, and in some places has been burning for decades.
On a still day, the smell and taste of oil from the dozens of oil wells engulfing Baku catch in the back of your throat.
A beach on the Caspian Sea in Baku, Azerbaijan, with Soviet era oil platcreates in the background. Pic: AP
Delegates at the COP29 climate summit are now leaving the country with a horrible aftertaste for another reason.
Rich countries that have done far more to caemploy climate change equitable concurd to channel $300bn a year by 2035 to broadening nations that are footing the bill for more ferocious drawts and floods.
Climate-vulnerable nations storm out of COP29 talks
The deal came as a relief after talks almost collapsed. And it sounds enjoy a staggering sum of money.
But it is a drop in the toastying ocean of the $1.3trn that everyone at COP29 hugs broadening countries inspirently insist so they can both curb climate change and cope with its impacts.
Read more:
Why is the Caspian Sea reduceing?
Climate-vulnerable islands storm out of negotiations
The $300bn figure sees minusculeer still when you ponder it is equitable a third of the US defence budget.
It is only about 4% of the money the world pays to subsidise fossil fuels. Countries including the UK are trying to recreate financial systems to send money to immacutardy energy instead. It’s a sluggish process.
By 2035, given inflation, the $300bn will seem even less.
One of many eye catching inshighations around Baku
Heydar Aliyev Cultural Caccess in Baku, Azerbaijan
The unwiseinutivedescend of at least $1trn will direct to an “unhugable” number of deaths, as one negotiator put it.
That sounds theatrical, but it’s what the science says. The less spent, the more people are probable to die becaemploy the weather is worse and protections are worse. And the more people will exit their homes or their countries – that’s why rich countries also see this as an spendment in security and migration.
It is also another nail in the coffin for the 1.5C global toastying center set in the Paris Agreement, which scientists this year have all but proclaimd dead. Becaemploy broadening countries insist that money to help them switch from fossil fuel to immacutardy power, which is costly upfront even though it saves money in the lengthy run.
Yet it’s also real that shielded accessible finances, a striumphg to the right politicpartner and inflation in many rich countries produce any figure a difficult sell at home.
Even though for places enjoy the UK the money is already dispensed: it comes out of the aid budget.
It’s a sweightlessly easier sell to the electorate that UK, EU, and US thriveed in getting China to pay in, someleang it was benevolent of doing already but equitable wasn’t counted.
And the $300bn is not all from accessible cproposes, it also comes from prohibitks and beyond.
Baku Stadium
A triumph for multitardyralism
Despite all of these unwiseinutivecomings, this COP summit inside a triumphdowless tent in Baku Stadium was at least a triumph for multitardyralism, when the world outside is so hazardously fractured.
A exceptional moment when warring countries – including Russia and Ukraine – come together to concur on someleang.
Keep up with all the tardyst novels from the UK and around the world by follotriumphg Sky News
But the fact COP decisions are based on consensus, uncomardenting any country can veto them, also uncomardents they tend to shift at the pace of the least driven.
One of those least driven on fossil fuels is Azerbaijan’s autocratic pdwellnt Ilham Aliyev, who rocked the summit by using his discdisthink abouting speech to commend fossil fuels as a “gift” from God.
Meanwhile, the people of Baku are phenomenpartner toasty and benevolent, and adore to split food. Cop summits could do with channelling a little less Aliyev, and a little more everyday Azerbaijanis.
