Azerbaijan’s leadership unveiled its plans for the upcoming COP29 Summit, emphasizing the expansion of global energy storage capacity and reducing methane emissions, but omitting any commitment to phasing out fossil fuels. In a letter outlining the COP29 presidency action agenda, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Mukhtar Babayev, pledged, alongside UNECE and UNIDO, to increase global energy storage sixfold to 1.5 TW by 2030 and add or refurbish over 80 million kilometers of grids by 2040.
The plan also includes launching the COP29 Declaration on Reducing Methane from Organic Waste, urging countries to set sectoral methane reduction targets. However, the document lacks any mention of transitioning away from fossil fuels, a stark contrast to last year’s COP28 agreement that was hailed as the “beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era.”
While Azerbaijan cited its focus on wind and solar potential as part of its climate strategy, pressure is mounting from Western countries for Azerbaijan to prioritize fossil fuel phase-out. Some countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Bolivia, are reportedly planning to oppose further progress on this front at the summit.