President Ilham Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan’s efforts in tackling the consequences of climate change, including its commitments as a COP29 host, in his address to the participants of the Pre-COP29 meeting in Baku on Thursday.
Azerbaijan is among the countries suffering from the impact of climate change, primarily seen in the decrease of water levels in rivers and the Caspian Sea, President Aliyev stated.
A study conducted by NASA's Earth Observatory predicts that the Caspian Sea's water levels could drop by an additional 8 to 30 meters (26 to 98 feet) by 2100 due to climate change. In addition, human activities like water consumption and diversion could lead to a further 7-meter (23-foot) decline.
These projections highlight the substantial influence of both natural and human factors on the future water levels of the Caspian Sea.
“Azerbaijan takes bold steps to overcome these challenges. At the national level, we are successfully implementing our socio-economic priority of ‘clean environment and green growth’. Azerbaijan has announced 2024 as the ‘Green World Solidarity Year’,” the President stated.
“Our abundant wind and solar potential enable us to advance renewable agenda. The liberated Karabakh and East Zangezur, declared green energy zones, host sufficient renewable sources,” he added.
The next step, he said, is channeling the revenues from the fossil fuel industry into developing the alternative energy resources as part of the commitments to promote the green agenda.
“As a country that accounts for only 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Azerbaijan sets an example how even smaller emitters can make significant contributions to combat climate change,” President Aliyev stated.
The Azerbaijani government plans to transform the liberated Karabakh (Garabagh) and East Zangezur regions fully into a “Net Zero Emission” Zone as a priority within the ongoing reconstruction and development projects, as well as reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent by 2050. The green energy potential of the liberated territories of Azerbaijan includes almost all types of renewable energy sources, including hydro, solar, wind, and geothermal.
The Fuzuli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan districts come in at number two after the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in Azerbaijan for their rich solar power resources. The solar radiation per square meter in these regions is reportedly at 1600-1700 kWh per year, while the total solar energy potential is estimated at 7,200 megawatts.
The wind energy potential of the liberated territories is especially prevalent in the Kalbajar and Lachin districts. According to data released by the Energy Ministry, the average annual wind speed in these territories reaches 10 meters per second. The potential of wind energy in the mountain areas of the Karabakh region is estimated at 2,000 megawatts.
Meanwhile, there are also 4,000-5,000 cubic meters of thermal water per day in the territory of the Kalbajar, Lachin, and Shusha districts.
The overall vast renewable energy resources of Azerbaijan have a technical potential of 135 gigawatts on land and 157 gigawatts at sea. The economic potential of green energy sources stands at 27 gigawatts, which includes 3 gigawatts of wind energy, 23 gigawatts of solar energy, 380 megawatts of bioenergy potential, and 520 megawatts of mountain river potential, according to the Energy Ministry.
President Aliyev said hosting the world’s largest climate summit, COP29, in November will allow Azerbaijan to mobilize national and global efforts for addressing the negative outcomes of climate change.
Azerbaijan has announced 2024 as the “Green World Solidarity Year” seeking a global action to provide equal opportunities for all to resist the challenges posed by climate change.
Baku has also prioritized helping the Small Island Developing States to overcome the climate change challenges, which are reflected in the COP29 Action Agenda comprising 14 initiatives on peace, finance, human capital, water, and more.
The COP29 Presidency also launched a new fund, Climate Finance Action Fund, to raise annual financial contributions from fossil fuel-producing countries and companies, targeting climate projects in developing countries, and help keep the 1.5°C goal within reach.
The fund aims to catalyze public and private sector efforts across mitigation, adaptation, and research and development. Initial fundraising seeks to raise USD1 billion.