Foxes and Henhouses
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A senior official at the upcoming United Nations climate summit sparked controversy this week after a secret recording showed that he offered to discuss fossil fuel investment opportunities while planning the global climate event, the Guardian reported.
The scandal broke just ahead of the 29th annual Conference of Parties (COP29) summit, which opens in Baku, Azerbaijan Monday. The conference brings together global leaders and experts to discuss strategies for limiting and preparing for climate change, with a focus on reducing fossil fuel dependency.
Secret recordings obtained by the human rights group Global Witness showed Elnur Soltanov, Azerbaijan’s deputy energy minister and chief executive of the COP29 team, discussing potential deals with a person posing as an investor.
Soltanov – who also sits on the board of Azerbaijan’s state oil and gas company Socar – spoke about “investment opportunities” in the country’s oil and gas sector, saying he could connect the investor with Socar executives.
In the recording, the official described natural gas as a “transitional fuel” and suggested Azerbaijan would continue producing oil and gas “perhaps forever.”
Despite COP29’s focus on reducing fossil fuels, Soltanov’s comments appeared to contradict the summit’s standards of impartiality and commitment to fight climate change, sparking calls for greater oversight of officials.
A similar incident took place at last year’s COP28 summit, where officials from the United Arab Emirates reportedly promoted oil and gas deals despite the conference’s climate goals, the BBC noted.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which oversees COP events, reiterated the “rigorous standards” required of all host countries but did not comment on Azerbaijan’s specific case.
Global Witness and other climate advocates are now urging the UN to ban fossil fuel industry sponsorships and lobbyists from COP events, cautioning that conflicts of interest undermine the integrity of the climate talks.
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