COP28 caused such a ruchus it was impossible to miss. COP29 however kind of slipped by quietly. Not because it was any less important. Just less dramatic. Today we will take a good look at the venue, the players and the results of COP29 of 2024.
If you do not know by now, CLIMATE CHANGE is a HOAX. Here me, I am not saying that our climate is not changing. I am saying that they are manipulating our environment, and even changing it permanently. They are doing it deliberately, to manipulate US! They want us to buy their lies and out of fear, to obey their every demand. All of this is leading up to the MARK OF THE BEAST and the NEW WORLD ORDER. The WORLD OF THE ANTI-CHRIST.
PAGANAISM is rising up. The world is returning to the way it was before CHRIST CAME! When all the world was in slavery to the demonic forces that ruled the planet.
The Climate Change agenda was created to play on your emotions. First of all your fear that the world was in danger and the planet can only be saved if we all work together. Second, that the iniquity in the world has to be fixed, and we can only do that if everyone blindly follows the demands of the ruling elite.
Neither one of those scenarios are real. There is iniquity in the world because there is sin in the world. There are evil people who do evil things. YOU can NEVER have UNITY in the EARTH until SIN and DEATH are eradicated. The rise of Paganism is due to the presence of the fallen angels and demonic spirits. They have returned. At least in part. The rest are coming. Life on earth is going to wax worse and worse. The only thing that you can do is to refuse to be part of the darkness. Turn away from your own sins and turn your life over to GOD!
We are seeing the rise of the indigenous peoples and their gods and spirits. The ruling elite play on your heart strings, convincing you that you owe it to all those poor and helpless people of color. They say “You nasty, greedy, selfish WHITE PEOPLE!!! IT is all YOUR FAULT that people are hungry and the world is falling apart!” I got news for you… The races… all races no matter what color, were ALL subject to demonic spirits. Yes, even the “CHOSEN PEOPLE” could not escape sin without CHRIST. ALL PEOPLE SINNED. ALL PEOPLE WERE INFLUENCED BY DEMONIC SPIRITS.
STILL TODAY, anyone who has not given their hearts to the LORD, are subject to demonic spirits and cannot see their own sin. Returning to the ANCIENT WAYS, is returning to slavery. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GO THERE??1
I am so glad I worked on this post because I have seen that there many people waking up. I was beginning to think that the whole world was lost. But, I was wrong. People are not stupid! They are waking up and speaking up. This is the time to STAND UP! Stand up for TRUTH and what is RIGHT and GOOD. Not by the World’s standards, but by GOD’s!
Here is the scoop on COP 29
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THE SLOGAN
“INVESTING IN A LIVABLE PLANET FOR ALL”
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THE COUNTRY
NATIONAL SYMBOLS
Flag of Azerbaijan
Design
The national flag of Azerbaijan consists of three horizontal stripes of equal width, from top to bottom: light blue, red, and green. A white crescent and an eight-pointed star are in the centre. The basic description of the flag, along with its ratio, is indicated in the Constitution of Azerbaijan:
State flag of the Azerbaijan Republic consists of three horizontal stripes of the same width. The upper stripe is blue, the middle stripe is red, and the lower one is green; in the middle of the red stripe on both sides of the flag white crescent with an eight-pointed star is depicted. The width of the flag constitutes half of its length.[36]
Further specifications of the flag were detailed in the presidential decree, “On the National Flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, issued on 5 February 1991. The ratio was kept at 1:2,[37] which was used during the Soviet era.[25][38] Each stripe fully extends to one-third of the flag’s total height. The star and crescent are placed in the centre of the red stripe. The outside diameter of both the crescent and the red inside circle intersects with the diameter of the star. The diameter of the star is one-sixth the height of the flag, while the inscribed circle within the star is one-twelfth the height of the flag.[38]
National emblem of Azerbaijan 
The state emblem of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan gerbi) mixes traditional and modern symbols. The focal point of the emblem is a stylized flame. The flame is a reference to Azerbaijan’s eternal natural oil-gas resources, which has given it the nickname “land of eternal fire“.[1]
The emblem is supported by a crossed stalk of wheat and an oak bough. Wheat is the symbol of abundance in Azerbaijan. Also, wheat bread is the main staple food. The oak tree is the symbol of power and youth in time.
History
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The government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic declared a competition on the national emblem of Azerbaijan on 30 January 1920 and made a decision to present the emblem model on May of the same year. However, due to the collapse of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on 28 April 1920, the emblem was not approved.
The Supreme Mejlis of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic discussed the issue connected with the national emblem and sent a petition to the Supreme Council of the Azerbaijan SSR on the declaration of a new competition on the national emblem of Azerbaijan on 17 November 1990.
The competition was declared by the decision of the Supreme Council of the Azerbaijan Republic on 5 February 1991. Tens of projects of the emblem were presented during the competition of 1991–1992, and it was also proposed to approve one of the projects developed between 1919–1920.
By the Constitutional Law of the Supreme Council of the Azerbaijan Republic, approved on 19 January 1993, one of the projects, developed between 1919–1920 with certain alterations was confirmed the national emblem of Azerbaijan.
Meaning
The colours used in composing the emblem are taken from the national flag. The green represents Islam; red represents the development and democracy of Azerbaijan, and blue represents that the Azerbaijanis are a Turkic people. The eight-pointed star (octagram) itself stands for the eight branches of the Turkic peoples, and between each point of the star, there is a smaller yellow circle found.
The National Emblem symbolizes the independence of Azerbaijan. It is the image of an oriental shield and a semicircle formed by the branches of an oak-tree and ears resting on it. The shield contains the image of the word “Allah” written in Arabic in the shape of a fire that draws allusion to Azerbaijan’s adopted motto, the “land of fire” – in the center of an eight-point star against a background of the colours of the National flag.[2]
SOME HISTORY
The term Azerbaijan derives from Atropates,[30][31] a Persian[32][33] satrap under the Achaemenid Empire who was reinstated as the satrap of Media under Alexander the Great.[34][35] The original etymology of this name is thought to have its roots in the once-dominant Zoroastrianism. In the Avesta‘s Frawardin Yasht (“Hymn to the Guardian Angels”), there is a mention of âterepâtahe ashaonô fravashîm ýazamaide, which translates from Avestan as “we worship the fravashi of the holy Atropatene“.[36] The name “Atropates” is the Greek transliteration of an Old Iranian, probably Median, compounded name with the meaning “Protected by the (Holy) Fire” or “The Land of the (Holy) Fire”.[37] The Greek name was mentioned by Diodorus Siculus and Strabo. Over the span of millennia, the name evolved to Āturpātākān (Middle Persian), then to Ādharbādhagān, Ādhorbāygān, Āzarbāydjān (New Persian) and present-day Azerbaijan.[38]
The name Azerbaijan was first adopted by the government of Musavat in 1918[39] after the collapse of the Russian Empire, when the independent Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was established. Until then, the designation had been used exclusively to identify the adjacent region of contemporary northwestern Iran,[40][41][42][43] while the area of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was formerly referred to as Arran and Shirvan.[44] On that basis Iran protested the newly adopted country name.[45]
During Soviet rule, the country was also spelled in Latin from the Russian transliteration as Azerbaydzhan (Russian: Азербайджа́н).[46] The country’s name was also spelled in Cyrillic script from 1940 to 1991 as Азәрбајҹан.
Aliyev family rule, 1993–present
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In 1993, democratically elected President Abulfaz Elchibey was overthrown by a military insurrection led by Colonel Surat Huseynov, which resulted in the rise to power of the former leader of Soviet Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev. In 1994, Huseynov, by that time the prime minister, attempted another military coup against Heydar Aliyev, but he was arrested and charged with treason.[116] In 1995 another coup was attempted against Aliyev, this time by the commander of the Russian OMON special police unit, Rovshan Javadov. The coup was averted, resulting in the death of Javadov and disbanding of Azerbaijan’s OMON units.[117][118] At the same time, the country was tainted by rampant corruption in the governing bureaucracy.[119] In October 1998, Aliyev was re-elected for a second term.
Ilham Aliyev, Heydar Aliyev’s son, became chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party as well as President of Azerbaijan when his father died in 2003. He was re-elected to a third term as president in October 2013.[120] In April 2018, Aliyev secured his fourth consecutive term in the election that was boycotted by the main opposition parties as fraudulent.[121] On 27 September 2020, clashes in the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resumed along the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact. Both the armed forces of Azerbaijan and Armenia reported military and civilian casualties.[122] The Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement and the end of the six-week war between Azerbaijan and Armenia was widely celebrated in Azerbaijan, as they made significant territorial gains.[123] Despite the much improved economy,[124] particularly with the exploitation of the Azeri–Chirag–Guneshli oil field and Shah Deniz gas field, the Aliyev family rule has been criticized with election fraud,[125] high levels of economic inequality[126] and domestic corruption.[127] In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched an offensive against the breakaway Republic of Artsakh in Nagorno-Karabakh that resulted in the dissolution and reintegration of Artsakh on 1 January 2024 and the flight of nearly all ethnic Armenians from the region.[128]
On 1 July 2021, the US Congress advanced legislation that will have an impact on the military aid that Washington has sent to Azerbaijan since 2012. This was because the packages to Armenia, instead, are significantly smaller.[176]
The constitution claims to guarantee freedom of speech, but this is denied in practice. After several years of decline in press and media freedom, in 2014, the media environment 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.[196] All foreign broadcasts are banned in the country.[197] 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.[198] Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America are banned in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan is considered the most secular Muslim-majority country.[275] Around 97% of the population are Muslims.[276] Around 55–65% of Muslims are estimated to be Shia, while 35–45% of Muslims are Sunnis.[277][278][279][280] Other faiths are practised by the country’s various ethnic groups. Under article 48 of its constitution, Azerbaijan is a secular state
Azerbaijan has been harshly criticized for bribing foreign officials and diplomats to promote its causes abroad and legitimize its elections at home, a practice termed caviar diplomacy.[177][178][179][180] The Azerbaijani laundromat money laundering operation involved the bribery of foreign politicians and journalists to serve the Azerbaijani government’s public relations interests.[181]
THE VENUE
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Baku Olimpiya Stadionu
Key facts
Club: none | Opening: 2015 | Capacity: 68,000 seats
History and description
Baku Olimpiya Stadionu (Baku Olympic Stadium), also known as Baku National Stadium, was built to provide Azerbaijan with a world class venue suitable for hosting football and athletics events.
The stadium was specifically built to become the centrepiece of the 2015 European Games and become the home of the Azerbaijan national football team. Previously, Azerbaijan played their games at Tofig Bakhramov Stadium.
Plans for the new stadium were first presented in 2008. Construction works started in 2011 and it took almost four years to complete the stadium. Baku Olympic Stadium officially opened on 18 March 2015 with an opening ceremony. The stadium came at a cost of US$ 600 million.
In the summer of 2015, the stadium hosted the first edition of the European Games.
Baku Olympic Stadium has been selected as one of the playing venues of the Euro 2020 Championships, which is played across Europe. During the tournament, the stadium will host three first round group matches and one round of 16 match.
Nickname
Azerbaijan is often referred to by the media and supporters as Milli (The National), which is the nickname associated with all of Azerbaijan’s international sporting teams due to the team’s utilization of the country’s national colors.[26]
Milli Komanda
SO THE NICKNAME OF THEIR TEAM IS THE NATION COMMANDS!
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| Nickname(s) | Milli komanda (The National Team) |
|---|---|
| Association | Azərbaycan Futbol Federasiyaları Assosiasiyası (AFFA) |
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) |
| Head coach | Fernando Santos |
| Captain | Emin Mahmudov |
| Most caps | Rashad Sadygov (111) |
| Top scorer | Gurban Gurbanov & Emin Mahmudov (14) |
| Home stadium | Baku Olympic Stadium |
| FIFA code | AZE |
| France 10–0 Azerbaijan (Auxerre, France; 6 September 1995) |
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The Azerbaijan national football team has taken part in qualification for each major tournament since Euro 1996, but has never qualified for the finals tournament of any World Cup or European Championships. Despite this, Azerbaijan was the first Caucasus country to host a major tournament, the UEFA Euro 2020, even though the national side was the only host to be eliminated in the first round of qualifying.
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THE CITY
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Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan. It was also the capital of Shirvan (during the reigns of Akhsitan I and Khalilullah I), the Baku Khanate, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the Azerbaijan SSR and the administrative center of Russian Baku governorate. Baku is derived from the old Persian Bagavan, which translates to “City of God”.[1] A folk etymology explains the name Baku as derived from the Persian Bādkube (بادکوبه ), meaning “city where the wind blows”, due to frequent winds blowing in Baku. However, the word Bādkube was invented only in the 16th or 17th century, whereas Baku was founded at least before the 5th century AD.
According to the 6th-century archbishop and historian St. Sophronius of Cyprus, in 71, St. Bartholomew the Apostle was preaching Christianity in the city of Albana or Albanopolis,[22] associated with present-day Baku[23] or Derbent,[24] both located by the Caspian Sea. St. Bartholomew managed to convert even members of the local royal family who had worshipped the idol Astaroth, but was later martyred by being flayed alive and crucified head down on orders from the pagan king Astyages.[25] The remains of St. Bartholomew were secretly transferred to Mesopotamia.[26
Source
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| The Flame Towers (Azerbaijani: Alov qüllələri) are a group of three skyscrapers in Baku, Azerbaijan. The main contractor, Dia Holdings, is owned by actors that are linked to Azerbaijan’s ruling Aliyev family’s network of offshore companies.[4]
The height of the tallest tower is 182 m (597 ft).[5] The three flame-shaped towers are intended to symbolize the elements of fire, and are a reference to Azerbaijan’s nickname “The Land of Fire“, historically rooted in a region where natural gas flares emit from the ground and Zoroastrian worshipers considered flames to be a symbol of the divine (notably at the Ateshgah of Baku and Yanar Dag). The three buildings (South, East and West) consist of 130 residential apartments over 33 floors, a Fairmont hotel tower that consists of 250 rooms and 61 serviced apartments, and office blocks that provides a net 33,114 square meters of office space.[6] Floor Count for the Three structures: 33/30/28 ConstructionThe cost of Flame Towers was an estimated US$350 million. Construction began in 2007, with completion in 2012.[7] HOK was the architect for the project, DIA Holdings served as the design-build contractor, and Hill International provided project management.[8] IlluminationThe Flame Towers are completely covered with LED screens that display the movement of a fire, visible from the farthest points of the city. The facades of the three Flame Towers function as large display screens with the use of more than 10,000 high-power LED luminaires, supplied by the Osram subsidiary Traxon Technologies and Vetas Electric Lighting.[9] The light show transitions from giant flames, the colours of the Azerbaijani flag, a figure waving a flag, and giant tanks of water being filled. Transition times are approximately 2 minutes.[10] In cultureThe buildings are featured in Extreme Engineering, a documentary television series that airs on the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. The episode called “Azerbaijan’s Amazing Transformation” was broadcast on 22 April 2011 as part of Season 9. The Flame Towers also appeared prominently in trailers before many entries for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 hosted in Baku (and, in the next 4 years, with the pre song trailer based in the singer’s home area, features in the trailer before the Azerbaijan song). The towers are also a prominent landmark in the video game Battlefield 4, with the first level of the single player campaign taking place in Baku. Additionally, the towers were shown frequently during coverage of the initial Formula One European Grand Prix held in Baku. |
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A unique blend of Eastern and Western architecture can be found in Baku, Azerbaijan. In the captivating capital city, ultramodern, glass-and-steel high-rises stand next to buildings that are much older.
After decades of political strife, Azerbaijan gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. President Heydar Aliyev wanted to make Baku a center of modern architecture. In 1998, Aliyev designated the area touching the Caspian Sea a national park, and a landscaping and building initiative began in Baku. In 2001, Azerbaijan became a full member of the Council of Europe, paving the way for collaboration with other member countries and allowing for a flood of new architectural possibilities.
Here are just a few of the marvelous works of architecture you’ll find in the city today.
1. Heydar Alivey Center
The Heydar Aliyev Center represents a complete departure from the traditional Soviet rigid, functional design aesthetic; its fluid, sweeping curves ushered in a more modern era in Azerbaijani architecture. World-famous architect Zaha Hadid designed this showstopping, ultramodern building, which is now the nation’s cultural center.
The form of the building refers to the rising of the Caspian Sea. This event is famous in Azerbaijan mythology. Moreover, the modern and futuristic characteristics of the Aliyev Center represent the approach to the future of Azerbaijan society.  Organic shapes that cover all around the building add movement and dynamism to the overall design. In this regard, architect Zaha Hadid has demonstrated her unique parametric design approach to the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center. This architectural attitude the mass imitating sea waves makes itself felt everywhere from the design of the square to interior spaces. For example, we are able to see this fluidity in the unique aura of the auditorium space. Indeed, the place seems like it is caught in the flow of the music and suddenly starts to catch a rhythm. spacer Heydar Alivey Park |
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Heydar Aliyev park, bignest park on Caucasus / Ganja, Azerbaijan, July 27 2021.
Note the HUGE Triumphal Arch and the corridor to the Palatial/Presidential Structure.
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The Heydar Mosque recently constructed in 2014 is the largest mosque in Azerbaijan. – Baku, Azerbaijan
2. Heydar Mosque
In 2012, President Ilham Aliyev announced the construction of the Heydar Mosque. Completed in 2014, the mosque was intended to be a symbol of peace, tolerance, and unity and was named for President Heydar Aliyev. Built in the ancient Azerbaijani architectural style, the mosque is at the center of Baku’s revitalization.
The towering minarets and spectacular domes are especially beautiful at night. The strategically placed lights illuminate the delicate curves of the revered house of worship.
Alizada Studios / Shutterstock3. Bibi-Heybat Mosque
The current-day Bibi-Heybat Mosque is a recreation of a 13th-century mosque of the same name that was destroyed by Stalin in 1936 when he abolished religion. The mosque opened in 1997.
Legend has it that the mosque contains the tomb of Okuma Khanim, a descendent of the prophet Muhammad. Bibi means “aunt,” and Heybat was the name of Khanim’s servant. The landmark is an important house of worship in Baku.
4. Baku Flame Towers
This unique landmark rises above the city of Baku, dominating the skyline day and night. The HOK architecture firm designed the Baku Flame Towers complex. The towers represent the wealth generated by the natural gas reserves that fuel the Azerbaijani economy.
LED lights embedded in the exterior of the building flicker at night, presenting a fire-inspired display that features the blue, red, and green colors of the Azerbaijani flag.
The tallest of the three buildings is a 39-story residential building. The second building is prime office space. The third building is the Fairmont Baku Hotel, a luxurious five-star hotel with views of the city and the Caspian Sea.
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5. Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum
The Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum houses centuries-old carpets and other textiles. The museum is dedicated to the work of Latif Karimov, Azerbaijan’s leading carpet artist and teacher.
The fascinating example of literal architecture, which resembles a rolled carpet, opened in 2014. The ultramodern building was designed by Austrian architect Franz Janz. The interior of the museum is also curved, allowing visitors to view the carpets and other art installations from a unique perspective.
In 2010, Azerbaijan’s traditional art of carpet weaving was inducted into the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, giving special status to this national museum.
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The Little Venice water park is located on the Baku Boulevard in the center of Baku city in Azerbaijan.
6. Little Venice
Located near the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, Little Venice is a delightfully kitschy attraction. The water park is meant to mimic the canals of Venice. It is a fun tourist destination with beautifully maintained canals surrounding man-made islands with restaurants serving traditional Azerbaijani cuisine.
Visitors can rent a gondola for a relaxing ride and meander through the gorgeous gardens.
Elena Odareeva / Shutterstock
7. Park Bulvar
Designed by Burrows Little, Park Bulvar in downtown Baku incorporates Eastern sensibilities and Western modernism.
The exterior of the Park Bulvar shopping center is representative of the modern architectural wave moving through Azerbaijan. The mall’s offerings, however, are traditional, including high-end stores and a large food court.
Across from the mall is Milli Park. Situated on the Caspian Sea, it offers sculptures, gardens, and exquisite views.
Park Boulevard – the pearl of the Boulevard!“Park Bulvar” is conveniently located on National Park-Bulvar, which is in the center of the city and holds a special place in the hearts of Baku residents. The center, which is the main attraction of trade in Baku, offers 17,000 square meters of retail and leisure space, 6 large-screen cinemas, a planetarium, a food court and a supermarket. There is a parking lot in the basement with a capacity of 550 cars. Pak Bulvar offers a wide range of services in addition to shopping opportunities. It is a trendy place for leisure, food, drink, music and movies. |
8. Baku Crystal Hall
Originally constructed to host the Eurovision Song Contest final and semifinal competitions in 2012, Baku Crystal Hall is the work of GMP Architekten.
The multifaceted structure serves as a concert hall and sports stadium and holds 25,000 fans. The building facade has embedded LED lights that can be programed to produce unique visual effects. This is a must-see, day and night.
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From Eurovision to the European Games – the Baku Crystal Hall Wednesday, 13 August 2014 Baku’s iconic Crystal Hall will be a showcase venue for the inaugural European Games. Constructed in just eight short months, the multi-purpose facility played host to the ever-popular Eurovision Song Contest in 2012. Due to the short time-span available ahead of Eurovision, the arena had to be designed and constructed simultaneously with German firm GMP Architekten collaborating closely with contractors Alpine Bau Deutschland and Nüssli throughout the process. In addition to the very small amount of available time, difficult weather and climate conditions posed additional challenges. The wet ground in particular caused a lot of headaches among the assemblers, as entire construction elements sank into the muddy surface. Conceived as both a concert hall and a sports stadium, the 25,000-seater venue comprises of a lightweight steel structure with a faceted membrane facade intended to resemble cut crystal. The Baku Crystal Hall was constructed in just eight months ©Baku 2015 The arena was originally planned to be just a temporary facility, but was subtly altered during construction to enable it to remain in place for longer. Instead of the usual reinforced concrete construction, the building has been designed as a pure steel structure which consists of three independent parts; the membrane façade, the modular stadium itself and the interior roof. In order to be able to put up a building of the size of a football stadium in just a few months, A prerequisite for the success of this novel working method is the extensive experience in design, management and construction scheduling provided by the consortium, as well as very good communication between the design team and the construction companies. The characteristic crystalline shape of the building and its illuminated façade is the response to Azerbaijan’s special request for the creation of a widely visible and visually effective landmark as a bridge between Asia and Europe that will be noticed in an international context. Different dynamic lighting scenarios have been programmed for the 9,500 LED lights to highlight the membrane façade and create moods appropriate for the different stages of the events.  The hall is located in the centre of the Flag Square Cluster on a dramatic peninsula jutting out into the Bay of Baku. During Baku 2015 the Crystal Hall will be the home of indoor volleyball, fencing, taekwondo, boxing and fencing. With a capacity of 25,000, the venue is the third largest on offer at the European Games. Following its staging of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest the facility has been used mainly as a music venue, hosting acts such as Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and Rihanna. It is also scheduled to host the 6th e-Sports World Championship held by the International e-Sports Federation in November 2014. |
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9. Government House
Facing Baku Boulevard, the Government House is home to the state ministry offices of Azerbaijan. The building was designed by Lev Rudnev; it was originally called the House of the Government of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and was completed in 1952.
Renovations on the building were completed in 2010. The beautiful baroque-style building is an example of ornate Eastern architecture. The Government House is best viewed at night, when its plethora of magnificent archways are highlighted by lights.
This architectural mix of old and new, East and West, modern and traditional aptly represents Azerbaijan’s rich history and culture. If you’re an architecture buff, a visit to Baku should be in the cards.
Planning a trip to Azerbaijan? Here are more of the country’s most beautiful places.
| How old is Azerbaijan? The country of Azerbaijan is 106 years old, founded in the year 1918. Source |
| the territory of Azerbaijan has been put on the map “Ancient inhabitants of Europe”.
The people of Azerbaijan, at the same time, are one of the peoples with the most ancient traditions of statehood. Azerbaijan has approximately 5 thousand years of statehood history. The first state formations or ethnopolitical associations on the territory of Azerbaijan were created since the end of the 4th, beginning of the 3rd millennium BC in the Urmia basin. The ancient Azerbaijani states that emerged here have played an important role in the military-political history of the entire region. It was during this period that Azerbaijan was closely connected with the states of Sumer, Akkad, and Assyria, which left a deep mark in world history, located in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates, as well as with the Hittite state in Asia Minor. In the 1st millennium BC – 1 millennium AD on the lands of Azerbaijan there were such powerful states as Manna, the Scythian kingdom, Atropatena and Albania. These states played an important role in enhancing the culture of public administration, in the cultural and economic history of the country, as well as in the process of forming a single people. source |
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Azerbaijan is located in an area close to the historical location of the mythical Amazon Warriors. There have been recent archaeological finds that prove the existence of the Amazons.
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Recent studies conducted in Nakhchivan have uncovered graves dating back approximately 4,000 years, containing female remains accompanied by weaponry such as sharp arrows, a bronze dagger, and a mace.
These findings, detailed in a report by SandStone Global Productions Ltd., offer probable confirmation of the historical presence of Amazons, who were renowned for their mastery of archery and their distinct social structure, which excluded men from their society. The discovery aligns with classical Greek accounts that depict Amazons as formidable warriors living on the fringes of the known world. Scenes from their battles were popular in Greek art and literature, with heroes like Hercules and Achilles encountering and engaging with Amazon queens in combat.
Historian Bettany Hughes, in an interview with the Observer, emphasized the significance of these findings, stating, “It shows that there’s truth behind the myths and legends of ancient Greece.” Hughes highlighted the deformities observed in the skeletons, indicating extensive use of bows and arrows by the women, suggesting sustained and intensive practice beyond mere hunting activities. Additionally, bone evidence revealed signs of prolonged horseback riding, shaping the lifestyle of these ancient women.
Achilles killing Penthesilea. Tondo of an Attic red-figure kylix, 470–460 BCE. From Vulci, Munich, Staatliche Antikensammlungen. Credit: Wiki Commons
The presence of carnelian ornaments in the graves further underscores the status and significance of these individuals, as carnelian was commonly associated with high priestesses and goddesses. This archaeological discovery adds weight to previous findings, including graves of female warriors unearthed in Russia in 2019 and Armenia in 2017, as well as earlier discoveries near the Kazakhstan border in the early 1990s.
The discoveries will be showcased in an upcoming Channel 4 series titled “Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World,” set to premiere on April 6. This series aims to explore various aspects of history and archaeology, including the interplay of cultures along the Silk Roads and in the Caucasus region.
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WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON?
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The United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP29, is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, between November 11 and 22. A Laudato Si’ Movement delegation is present there, participating in key meetings.
The role of Catholics at COP29
Climate change is not only an environmental crisis, but also a moral crisis. This is where the Catholic Church and its leaders have a significant voice. Catholics have long led action on climate change, from installing solar panels to calling for more just climate policies. Now, it’s time for governments to follow our lead.
In his message at the start of COP29, Pope Francis expressed his hope that the conference will make a significant contribution to the protection of our “common home”.As part of the Church’s concrete response, the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, equips Catholic institutions to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, pray for all creation, and take community action to prepare for a climate-affected world.The Church is demonstrating moral leadership in action. (LOL..anyone who buys that needs to get real, get quite, and take a critical look at what has been coming out of the Catholic Church. More importantly, it is time to get right with GOD and ask Him to open your eyes to the TRUTH, as only HE can!)
LSM at work in Baku
Engaging in dialogue with the Holy See delegation and other religious organizations, LSM representatives are cooperating with partners to lift up a shared Catholic voice for creation in the lead up to 2025 and COP30 in Brazil.
LSM = Laudato Si’ Movement |
LSM is co-organizer of the event “Faith and Justice in Ecological Transition”, which is a presentation of alternatives for a just ecological transition following Catholic social teaching, including clear policy guidelines, technology transfer mechanisms and capacity building.
The urgency of moral leadership
The participation of Catholics in COP29 represents a call to global conscience:climate change must be confronted not only with technology and politics, but with moral principles that guide just and compassionate decisions.
Catholics provide something that is urgently needed in these spaces of international dialogue: a willingness to act on our principles.
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SO WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT COP 29?
Huge deal struck but is it enough? 5 takeaways from a dramatic COP29
Matt McGrath
COP29 is over, with developing countries complaining that the $300bn (about £240bn) a year in climate finance they will receive by 2035 is a “paltry sum”. Seriously??
Many of the rich country voices at the UN’s climate conference were amazed that developing nations were unhappy with what on the surface seems a huge settlement. It is an improvement – on the current contribution of $100bn (£79.8bn) a year. Boy, any of you parents out there feel like you are reliving the screaming demands of your spoiled children??
However, the developing world,which had pushed for more, had many genuine issues with the final sum.
Boy, that is such an effective psychological term “the developing world”. It conjures up images of poor helpless displaced souls struggling to create something. I find that rather comical, because most of what they are calling developing countries have been around for thousands of years. Most of them far longer than the US or Canada. They have certainly had opportunities to create the country they wanted, to find their resources and develop them to care for their citizens and protect their ecology. Many of them have known fantastic wealth that has been abused and squandered by their leaders, and pillage by their gangs and terrorist groups. Yet they are demanding to take the everything from those nations who have developed into something greater than themselves. The truth is that those very nations have been supporting and assiting them for years, decades. NOW, ALL NATIONS ARE STRUGGLING. There is no EXCESS anywhere but in the pockets of the RULING ELITE who have been robbing us all blind and stealing ALL the Earth’s Resources.
A massive deal, but bitter divisions remain
There were complaints it simply was not enoughand that it was a mixture of grants and loans. And countries were deeply annoyed by the way the wealthy waited until the last minute to reveal their hand.
“It’s a paltry sum,” India’s delegate Chandni Raina told other delegates, after the deal had been gavelled through.
“This document is little more than an optical illusion. This, in our opinion, will not address the enormity of the challenge we all face.”
Ultimately, the developing world was compelled to accept it, with many rich countries pointing to next year’s arrival of President Donald Trump, a known climate sceptic, and arguing that they would not get a better deal.
But this package is also being criticised as short-sighted from the richer world’s perspective.
The argument runs that if you want to keep the world safe from rising temperatures, then wealthier nations need to help emerging economies cut their emissions, because that is where 75% of the growth in emissions has occurred in the past decade. Ya, maybe that should tell you that bringing the whole world up to high technology is NOT GOOD FOR ANYONE.
New national plans are due to be published next spring to outline how every country will limit their planet warming gases over the next 10 years. We won’t even go into all that BULLSHIT here. It is totally garbage. And they are about to FORCE IT DOWN EVERYONE’s NECK!
A more generous cash settlement at COP29 would undoubtedly have had a positive knock-on effect on those efforts.
And at a time of geopolitical uncertainty and distraction, keeping countries united on climate should be critical.The big fight over money re-opened old divisions between rich and poor, with an anger and bitterness I have not seen in years. They will NEVER have the world UNITED ON CLIMATE CHANGE. People are waking up to the lies and deceit. You want to end Global Warming… SHUT DOWN SCIENE, ALL THE ASTRONOMICAL AND FUSION EXPERIMENTS, ALL THE COLLIDERS, HAARP, AND ALL THE LASERS POINTED AT THE SKY! That will free up billions of dollars! IT will help to end all this insane weather activity, too!
COP itself is on the ropes
Shepherding 200 countries to an intricate deal on climate finance was always going to be a tough task.But for hosts Azerbaijan, a country with no real history of involvement in the COP process, it proved to be almost beyond them.
The country’s president, Ilham Aliyev, did not help matters by describing oil and gas as a “gift from God”. (LOL I bet that did not go over to well with the organizers. LOL)His blunt attacks – accusing “Western fake news media”, charities and politicians of “spreading disinformation” – did not improve matters. LOL, WOW, I LOVE THIS GUY!!
Azerbaijan follows Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as the third authoritarian state in a row to host COP, raising concerns about how host countries are selected.
Azerbaijan, like the UAE, has an economy which is built on oil and gas exports, which seems at odds with a process that is meant to be helping the world transition away from coal, oil and gas.
Privately, many senior negotiators spoke of their frustration with what some termed the worst COP in a decade.Half-way through the meeting, several senior climate leaders wrote a public letter saying COP was not fit for purpose and calling for reform.
The quiet ascent of China
With the role of the US in future climate talks in doubt because of Trump, attention shifted to who might become the real climate leader in the expected absence of the US over the next four years.
The natural successor is China.
The world’s largest carbon emitterwas largely silent at this year’s COP, only showing its hand to give details for the first time on the amount of climate finance it gives to developing countries.
China is still defined by the United Nations as a “developing” country,meaning it has no formal obligation to cut greenhouse gas emissions or provide financial help to poorer countries. (DID YOU CATCH THAT? CHINA is considered a DEVELOPING COUNTRY!! Come on folks, that ought to be enough reason for EVERYONE TO PULL OF THE WHOLE PROGRAM!!)
However, China has agreed to a formula in the finance deal that would allow its contributions to be counted in the overall fund for climate-vulnerable countries, on a voluntary basis. How generous of them…NOT!!!
All in all, a move that is being seen as very deft and effective.
“China is becoming more transparent about its financial support to global south countries,” said Li Shuo, from the Asia Society Policy Institute.
“This should propel the country to play a larger role in the future.”
‘Trump-proofing’ the climate
Although he was not there, Trump’s presence was felt across COP.
One common element among the negotiators in Baku was the need to ensure that a second Trump administration would not upend years of careful climate negotiations.
So it was no surprise to see that richer nations wanted to commit to raising funding by 2035.They believe putting that date will allow the US to contribute again once Trump has left office.
Similarly, the drive to increase the contributor base was done with Trump in mind.
Bringing China to the table, even in a voluntary capacity, will be used to show that it is worth engaging in international forums like COP.
“No-one thinks Trump in the White House will be anything but damaging to the multilateral climate regime,”said Prof Michael Jacobs, visiting senior fellow at the think tank ODI Global. Praise GOD! I hope that is true. I would like to see the whole CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX be revealed and the TRUE PERPETRATORS EXPOSED AND DEPOSED!
“But this agreement was about trying to limit the damage as much as possible.”
Campaigners become more vocal
One very noticeable trend at COP29 was the sometimes more aggressive stance taken by many environmental NGOs and campaigners.
I witnessed it myself when US climate envoy John Podesta was chased out a meeting area with chants of “shame” ringing in his ears.
Many developing countries rely on these NGOs for support in dealing with complex events like COP.
During the talks, there was a strong push from many of these campaigners for an outright rejection of almost any deal.
Similarly, in the final plenary when all countries accepted the finance text, there were brash cheers when speakers from several nations spoke out against the agreement, after the gavelling.
Will confrontational activism and fraught debate become the new norm at a diplomatic climate conference? Let’s hope that it will be the END OF CLIMATE CONFERENCES!
We will have to wait for the next COP to see.
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JUST SO YOU KNOW… HERE IS A LIST OF WHAT HTEY CONSIDER “DEVELOPING NATIONS” FROM TWO DIFFERENT SOURCES:
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List of developing countries as declared by the Minister for Foreign Affairs
| EUROPE Albania Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia & Herzegovina Georgia Hungary Kosovo Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic) Moldova Montenegro Poland Romania Slovakia Serbia Turkey Ukraine AFRICA NORTH OF SAHARA Algeria Egypt Libya Morocco Tunisia SOUTH OF SAHARA Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cabo Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Congo Congo (Democratic Republic of the) Cote d’Ivoire Djibouti Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda St. Helena Sao Tome & Principe Senegal Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Togo Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe AMERICA NORTH & CENTRAL Belize Costa Rica Cuba |
Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Montserrat Nicaragua Panama St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines SOUTH AMERICA Argentina Bolivia Brazil Colombia Ecuador 2 Updated March 2022 Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Venezuela ASIA Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia Chinai (People’s Republic of) India Indonesia Kazakhstan Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of) Kyrgyzstan. Lao People’s Democratic Republic Malaysia i Excludes Hong Kong Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Sri Lanka Tajikistan Thailand Timor Leste Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Vietnam MIDDLE EAST Iran Iraq Jordan Lebanon Syrian Arab Republic West Bank and Gaza Strip Yemen PACIFIC Cook Islands Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia Nauru Niue Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Wallis & Futun |
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What was decided at the COP29 climate summit in Baku?
From a controversial $300bn-a-year climate finance deal to stranded emissions-cutting talks and a new global carbon market, here are the main outcomes
Demonstrators at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, calling for “trillions” in new climate finance on the last day of negotiations. (Photo: UNFCCC)
As the final gavel came down at 5.30am on Sunday morning, the COP29 UN climate change conference in Baku closed with many unsettled grievances and some ruffled feathers.
From the controversial new climate finance goal, to the adoption of rules for a global carbon market and stalled efforts on cutting planet-heating emissions, the summit’s outcomes were contested and widely seen as inadequate to tackle the urgency of the climate crisis. Yeah! AND NOBODY CARES!
The finance deal was hailed as “the start of a new era on climate finance” by the EU’s climate commissioner, but condemned as a “joke” by Nigeria – and India rejected it fiercely as being “too little, too late”. And how can India and Nigeria be called developing nations??? Because their choice and beliefs leave them “backwards” by Western standards, and living in filth and hunger? How many organizations, projects, missions, aid efforts have flooded into India and Nigeria over the decades?
Climate Home News unpacks COP29’s successes and failures, most of which require further work next year on the path to COP30 in Brazil.
New climate finance goal
Tagged the “Finance COP”,all eyes in Baku were on negotiations towards a new collective quantified goal (NCQG) for climate finance to kick in from 2026. The final deal for wealthy governments to channel at least $300 billion a year by 2035 to developing countriesreplaced the previous $100-billion annual target set in 2009 for the 2020-2025 period.
From the very beginning, developed countries were strategically silent,as they avoided revealing the amount of finance – or “quantum” – they would be prepared to offer for the new target.Developing-country asks ranged from $440 billion, $600 billion and $900 billion of government finance per year. They proposed an overall target of $1.3 trillion which would include private finance mobilised by governments, but not market-rate loans, export credits or private investment in general.
As negotiations moved into the second week and towards the final days, developing countries became impatient with the lack of clarity. As whispers of a number ranging from $200bn-$300bn spread through the conference, Bolivian negotiator Diego Pacheco labelled the $200bn figure “a joke” during a press conference in the sidelines of COP29.
On Friday, the last official day of the conference, a number was finally put on the table by the COP29 presidency, suggesting $250bn a year– to the disappointment of developing countries. The African Group’s lead negotiator Ali Mohamed said this was “totally unacceptable”.
The talks took a further dramatic turn on Saturday when governments received a draft text containing a slightly higher offer of $300bn a year for the core government-led finance goal.This and other issues infuriated the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), who stormed out of the negotiations in protest just hours before the closing plenary.
Namibia uses COP29 climate summit to push for oil and gas investments
After LDCs and SIDs won some concessions – but not on the size of the goal – the presidency gavelled through the deal pledging at least $300 billion a year by 2035, with developed countries “taking the lead” on providing it.The text says the money will come “from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources”.
The existing $100bn goal includes direct government finance, a proportion of the public funding that flows through multilateral development banks (MDBs) and private finance “mobilised” by government money and export credits.It is unclear if the $300bn covers the same elements or more, experts said.
Under the $100bn goal, only 70% of MDB climate finance is counted, which excludes the share contributed by large emerging economies like China, India and Brazil.
But to the anger of some developing countries – especially India – the new goal recognises “the voluntary intention” of governments “to count all climate-related outflows from and climate-related finance mobilized by multilateral development banks towards achievement of the goal”.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell hugs COP29 president Mukhtar Babayev at the closing plenary in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo: UNFCCC)
SIDS finance negotiator Michai Robertson told Climate Home that how MDB finance is counted and which private sources would be included in the $300bn will only be decided by the UNFCCC’s Standing Committe on Finance when countries report the first post-2025 figures, which will not be until 2028.
Fractious COP29 lands $300bn climate finance goal, dashing hopes of the poorest
A larger target of $1.3 trillion a year by 2035 was also set in Baku to scale up all sources of spending to combat climate change, including private investments in the Global South that are not linked to governments. How this broader target will be reached is uncertain, and will be discussed in the coming year under a “Baku to Belem Roadmap to 1.3T”.
The roadmap will look into “grants, concessional and non debt-creating instruments, and measures to create fiscal space”and produce a report by COP30 next year in Belem. It was first announced at a press conference in Baku by ministers from Colombia, Kenya, Barbados, Honduras and Panama. Barbados’ minister said it would consider measures such as redirecting fossil fuel subsidies in rich countries to climate action in the Global South.
SIDS negotiator Robertson criticised the roadmap as “a lot of smoke and mirrors”, adding that it was unclear how it would work.
Meanwhile the new finance goal also “encourages” developing countries to make contributions to climate finance “on a voluntary basis”, which they were not requested to do for the existing $100bn goal.While no countries are specified, the rich donor governments that pushed for this have said they want wealthier developing countries like China, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to chip in.
Wow, if China and the Gulf states are not already “Chipping IN” who is carrying this program?? Just the US and EUROPE?? How can the USA be consdiered RICH when we are broke and in debt up to our ears?? We are also suffering tremendous costs due to weather and other disasters destroying our infrastructure. We can’t affor to take care of our own citizens, and now we are flooded with billions of immigrants. All of our trade, manufacturing, and service jobs have been exported to the “developing countries” and our professional jobs like doctors, dentists, pharmacists, lawyers, scientists are all filled by foreign nationals. THERE IS NO MONEY HERE!
Cutting greenhouse gas emissions
Last year at COP28 in the UAE, countries completed the first global review of climate policies under the 2015 Paris Agreement – a process known as the global stocktake (GST). Among other things, last year’s deal saw countries commit to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 and “transition away” from fossil fuels in energy systems in a fair manner to achieve the goals of the Paris pact, including limiting global warming to “well below” 2C and ideally to 1.5C. RIDICULOUS!
In Baku, countries were meant to launch the “UAE Dialogue” to work out how to implement the recommendations from the GST and inform the upcoming round of new and stronger national climate plans – known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – due in 2025.
However, at COP29 countries did not reach consensus on advancing the UAE Dialogue, after Saudi Arabia blocked any references to fossil fuels in the text, in what observers described as “destructive” opposition. ABOUT TIME SOMEONE STOOD UP!
Governments were also split on whether the UAE Dialogue should address issues beyond financing the commitments made at COP28, which Saudi negotiators claimed was the main scope of the dialogue. They used this as an excuse to avoid discussions on the energy transition.
Negotiators in the hallways of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo: UNFCCC)
A watered-down draft text proposed to “reaffirm” last year’s pledge without calling out fossil fuels by name, and also emphasised the role of “transitional fuels” – which could be interpreted to mean fossil gas.
Latin American countries, developed countries and small islands opposed this text, meaning that the talks on the dialogue had to be pushed to June 2025, aiming for a new outcome at COP30 next November.
Without a deal in Baku, countries missed the chance to adopt two new targets viewed as key for the energy transition:one aiming to increase energy storage capacity to 1,500 gigawatts by 2030 and another pledging to add 25 million kilometres of power grids by 2030.
In a different strand of the talks – a “non-prescriptive” effort to enhance emissions reductions known as the Mitigation Work Programme (MWP) – countries approved a weak text after Saudi negotiators almost managed to collapse talks on it earlier in the summit, causing the COP29 presidency to step in and revive them.
All mentions of fossil fuels were removed from the MWP, as well as any mention of COP28’s pledges to reverse deforestation by 2030, phase out fossil fuel subsidies and triple renewables by 2030.
The outcome frustrated developed countries which said the text failed to send strong signals for ambitious NDCs next year. Germany’s climate envoy Jennifer Morgan called the MWP decision a “big step back”.
Just transition
Countries also failed to reach an agreement on the just transition work programme (JTWP) at COP29 – a deal meant to support workers and communities affected by the transition away from fossil fuels towards cleaner energy.
Governments were divided on issues of human and labour rights, measures seen as restricting free trade, adaptation and emissions reductions.A major bone of contention was whether to designate finance to support plans for a just transition.
Fatuma Hussein, Africa’s lead negotiator on just transition, told Climate Home that developed countries wanted to keep discussions focused on “national dimensions” rather than what needs to be done internationallyto enable just transition on a global scale. She added that the lack of finance was “the biggest departure point” causing developing countries to reject the draft text.
Negotiations on this issue fell down the COP29 presidency’s list of priorities as the finance talks became heated. It set up a last-minute contact group and presented a final draft to save the JTWP, but no agreement was reached. Talks will continue in June next year, with international trade unions expressing their concern over the lack of a decision on next steps in Baku.
Activists calling for “trillions” in climate finance at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo: UNFCCC)
Global goal on adaptation
Work on the global goal on adaptation (GGA) – which is enshrined in the Paris Agreement (that document needs to be burned) but has yet to be implemented – made little progress during most of COP29, due to a lack of consensus on the means of implementation, generally understood to mean finance. In the end, a procedure to move the goal forward was agreed, called the Baku Adaptation Road Map.
Unwillingness from developed countries to put money on the table, as well as the difficulty of selecting indicators to measure progress, held back the talks at COP29, experts told Climate Home.
The GGA was adopted in 2015 with a view to enhancing resilience to climate change impacts, but countries defined a set of guidelines for it only last year, known as the UAE Framework. In Baku, countries were meant to advance on identifying indicators to measure progress, under a process known as the UAE-Belém Work Programme, which is due to be finalised next year at COP30.
However, in addition to the contention around finance, the role of transformational adaptation – meaning deep, long-term societal changes that influence sustainable development – was another obstacle to progress, as some developing countries like Senegal kicked back against it, saying it could throw up new barriers in accessing finance.
In the second week of COP29, countries agreed to defer a review of the GGA framework until after the second global stocktake in 2028. But the Baku Adaptation Road Mapwas launched to enable talks to continue in 2025.
Richard Klein, a senior researcher on adaptation at the Stockholm Environment Institute, told Climate Home that the GGA did not take substantive steps forward at COP29, further delaying implementation. Meanwhile, he said, “the gap between the adaptation action needed and what is being implemented continues to widen.”
India fires warning shot with rejection of finance deal at COP29
Gender work programme
This year, the main focus of the gender negotiations at the UN climate summit was the renewal of the Lima Work Programme (LWP), under which a Gender Action Plan is produced every five years – both of which establish guidelines for gender-responsive climate policies.
Some conservative countries, including the Vatican, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, successfully lobbied to remove some human rights-related language from the decision text on issues including diversity and intersectionality that had been being championed mainly by Latin American nations and the EU.
In the end, an agreement was reached, renewing the Lima Work Programme for another 10 years, with a review scheduled in five years, and a new gender action plan due to be drawn up in 2025.
Another topic of discussion was whether to house the LWP under the Paris Agreement or the UN climate convention. Some parties wanted it to be addressed in talks on both, but others argued that that would double the work. Countries decided to keep it just under the convention.
They also agreed to work on data that will be broken down by gender and age, gender-responsive implementation of just transitions, creating quality jobs for women that are aligned with national climate plans, and simplifying access to finance for grassroots women’s groups and Indigenous women.
Feminists call for climate justice at the COP29 negotiations in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo: Mariel Lozada)
Carbon markets
At COP29, talks on setting up a new global carbon market made a significant breakthrough after nearly a decade of discussions, as countries agreed on a package of rules under the Paris Agreement’s “Article 6”.
On the first day of the Baku summit, the COP29 presidency scored an early win as countries approved guidelines laying the foundations for a regime to develop and trade carbon credits. This agreement was hailed by COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev as a “breakthrough” that “achieves full operationalisation of Article 6” – but experts criticised the procedure that was followed.
After failing to secure agreement in previous years, the rules were eventually crafted by a technical committee and then presented to governments at COP29.
With approval of the rules on Article 6.2, which regulates bilateral emissions trading between countries,and 6.4, which sets up an international carbon market, countries will now finalise technical details and could kick off the new markets from 2025.
But campaigners expressed concerns over the quality of the credits and how to deal with any problems. According to Carbon Market Watch, the rules agreed for Article 6.2 may not be strong enough to ensure real emissions reductions, as trades require less immediate transparency. Key technical information is not required to be disclosed until after trades have already happened, which could take years, the NGO warned.
The first batch of credits to be traded under the new Paris market is likely to consist of old offsets originally developed under the Kyoto Protocol-era’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), many of which were regarded as delivering little concrete benefit for the climate.
(Reporting by Vivian Chime, Mariel Lozada and Joe Lo; editing by Sebastian Rodriguez, Joe Lo and Megan Rowling)