Who’s to blame for climate change: Fossil fuel producers or purchasers?

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — 

The relation of Azerbaijan arsenic a increasing exporter of fossil fuels has forced a statement astatine this month’s clime league successful Baku implicit which countries are astir liable for worsening clime alteration — the producers oregon the countries that bargain and pain those fuels.

Climate activists person cited a slew of caller contracts signed by Azerbaijan’s authorities lipid company successful the past year, a improvement that President Ilham Aliyev has defended arsenic a “gift from God” and a realistic effect to marketplace demand.

Oil and state relationship for much than 90% of the confederate Caucasus country’s exports, boosted by the find of the Shah Deniz state tract successful the aboriginal 2000s, according to the International Energy Agency. The main buyers of its petroleum are Croatia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine, among others.

After imposing sanctions connected Russian state successful effect to Moscow’s penetration of Ukraine, the European Union turned to different sources, including Azerbaijan. This prompted Baku to statesman readying a large enlargement of its lipid and state production, according to Ufuk Alparslan, determination pb for Turkey and the surrounding regions astatine vigor probe radical Ember.

“Azerbaijan’s expectations are that the EU volition person higher fossil substance demand,” Alparslan told VOA. “Their people marketplace volition ever beryllium the EU, particularly aft the Ukraine war.”

Asked whether the purchaser oregon the seller of fossil substance should instrumentality the blame, Alparslan said some stock the aforesaid responsibility.

“It’s not just to blasted the producers. There’s request for it [fossil fuels]. … I deliberation they should stock the blasted together,” helium said.

Myrto Tilianaki, elder advocator of situation and quality rights astatine Human Rights Watch, said each countries should treble down connected their modulation from fossil fuels to cleanable vigor sources. Tilianaki said Azerbaijan has not acceptable a bully illustration arsenic the big of this year’s U.N. clime alteration conference, COP29.

“As a COP president, you are meant to beryllium galvanizing and gathering countries astir higher [climate] ambitions for this COP,” Tilianaki told VOA. She said Baku’s stark enactment for fossil substance enlargement portion calling for much ambitious clime goals is “contradictory.”

But Fadhel Kaboub, elder advisor with Kenya-based probe radical Power Shift Africa, told VOA it is “hypocritical” to spot the blasted for rising c emissions connected producers similar Azerbaijan.

“The occupation is the countries of Global North that caused clime alteration and exceeded their c fund by far. And they are successful a concern wherever they beryllium clime indebtedness they request to wage to the Global South,” helium said.

Azerbaijan has acceptable a goal of reducing its greenhouse state emissions by 40% from 1990 levels successful the adjacent 25 years, provided it receives planetary support.

The state has respective planned star and upwind projects that would make 2 gigawatts of renewable energy. It is said to ain “considerable” imaginable to make renewable vigor from solar, wind, hydropower, biomass and geothermal resources.

As the EU seeks to trim its ain request for fossil fuels, Alparslan said Baku’s existent strategy to boost lipid and state accumulation mightiness not beryllium ideal. He said discussions connected however to diversify its vigor sources volition beryllium inevitable.

“The EU won’t beryllium a bully marketplace successful the future, and request simplification volition impact it. They are already astatine maximum capacity, and if they request to nutrient more, they person to make much state fields, which request financing,” helium said.

Other processing nations successful the fossil fuel-rich portion volition besides request to make alternatives some for home usage and export, Alparslan added.

He cited the case of Uzbekistan, which exported much than $2 cardinal worthy of state successful 2019 but has seen its accumulation adust up and present is simply a nett state importer, according to section media reports.

While it relies connected state from Russia and different countries for now, Uzbekistan has shifted its vigor concern into processing renewable sources with an oculus to aboriginal exports. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said astatine the COP29 talks this period that helium expects to motion a multilateral woody to that effect with the EU “in the coming days.”

Kaboub said processing nations with immense renewable imaginable similar those successful Africa person been denied manufacturing exertion from the Global North owed to perceived “geopolitical risk.”

”It’s a question of power. The Global North is not funny successful disrupting the assemblage geopolitical hierarchy,” helium argued.

Climate concern to Africa reached $44 cardinal successful 2021-2022, but much than one-third of that was successful the signifier of loans to already debt-ridden nations, according to a study from the Climate Policy Initiative.

Alparslan suggested that processing countries that are highly reliant connected generating and exporting fossil fuels should statesman their modulation by seeking to boost determination practice and stock renewable vigor done improved grid connectivity.

“These projects tin pull planetary and outer funding,” helium said. “Green vigor projects are much appealing than fossil fuel.”