In an interview, Rafiyev declared that COP29 would be a ‘moment of truth for the climate community’ and a ‘litmus test for the Paris Agreement’. Azerbaijan’s vision for COP29 rests on enhancing ambition and enabling action. In a world wracked by climate impacts, such optimism is, well, the ultimate exercise in positive thinking. Unfortunately, it is not refreshingly new. COP27 in Egypt was supposed to be an ‘implementation COP’, with the president declaring, ‘We must work together for implementation. We need to act, and act now, to save lives and livelihoods.’ A year later, in Dubai, we heard COP28 would be an inclusive COP. Yes, we did have the Loss and Damage Fund, but where is the money? So, let’s keep our fingers crossed that COP29 will not turn out to be just hot air. Meanwhile, we can keep counting Baku’s yeti-sized carbon footprint.
