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On Monday 11 November, COP29 opened in Baku (Azerbaijan). This year's Conference of the Parties has been dubbed the COP of Finance, and is expected to focus on how to finance the fight against climate change, especially in the most vulnerable countries.
After COP27 in Egypt and COP28 in Dubai, it now seems to have become a tradition to hold the conference in a country with an economy that relies heavily on hydrocarbons and which plans on increasing production. Azerbaijan is also known for its tendency to crack down on dissent. All of this casts doubt on civil society's ability to gain any meaningful access to the discussions.
Another issue is the large number of absentees among the world leaders expected to attend. In addition to Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin and Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron has announced that he will not be making the trip to Baku. This is due to a diplomatic row between France and Azerbaijan that dates back to the latter's annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023, and the French President's strong support for Armenia.
Some are also boycotting the summit out of conviction. The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape, has announced that he will be boycotting the conference to protest against the lack of support from the world's major nations for the victims of climate change.
A conversation with investigative reporters Stefano Valentino and Giorgio Michalopoulos, who have dissected the dark underbelly of green finance for Voxeurop and won several awards for their work.
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