BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 15. Events related to the compliance of shipping, aviation, and SOCAR structures with "green" standards in their activities were held in Baku this week, Trend reports.
In particular, on the issue of "green" shipping, the first "Caspian Blue Horizons" event on "Synergy between Science and Business for Climate Resilience and Sustainability of the Caspian ahead of COP29" was held on June 10 in Baku at ADA.
Addressing the event, Taleh Ziyadov, Head of Baku International Sea Trade Port (BISTP), noted that the port will reach carbon neutrality by 2035. According to him, all Caspian countries need the cooperation of all Caspian Sea littoral countries for the effectiveness of work in the direction of a "green" Caspian Sea and "green" transportation corridor through this body of water (the Middle Corridor).
He also said that a regional center for Caspian Sea research may be established in November on the territory of the International Sea Trade Port (BISTP).
Speaking at the same event, Mukhtar Babayev, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan and President of COP29, emphasized that the main objective of the Caspian Blue Horizons Workshop is to promote cooperation between experts in the field of applied sciences and business representatives. The Minister believes that such cooperation will help develop innovative solutions and effective strategies to solve problems related to water level decline and environmental changes in the Caspian Sea.
MP (Parliament), UN High-Level Leader on Climate at COP29 Nigar Arpadarai, also noted on June 10 that the transition to "green" technologies is costly, and this issue will be the focus of COP29.
Deputy Energy Minister Elnur Soltanov (part of the COP29 chairmanship team) emphasized at the ADA event that small island states are claiming an existential threat of their extinction due to global warming. He also mentioned that Azerbaijan itself is exposed to the negative effects of climate change related to water.
"The problem of water resource deficits will be included in the agenda of the upcoming COP29 in Baku," the deputy minister added.
Head of the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Azerbaijan Kanako Mabuchi reminded during the event on "Sustainable Development: Challenges and Solutions" held in Baku on June 10 that back in 2015, when the Paris Agreement was signed, it was envisaged to finance climate projects for $100 billion per year. At COP29, member states that signed the Paris Agreement intend to set a new, increased financial target.
At the same event, the head of the UN Global Compact in Azerbaijan, Samir Mammadov, noted that small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) should actively participate in COP29, as by switching to "green" technologies, SMEs will not only reduce their carbon footprint but also strengthen their position in the market, supporting the world's efforts to combat climate change.
Also this week, it became known that several NGOs and representatives of 31 countries participating in the 60th session of the subsidiary bodies of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bonn (Germany) in June published a statement in which they assessed the activities of Azerbaijan, the host country of COP29, as promoting dialog and cooperation with all stakeholders.
Furthermore, at the 60th session of the subsidiary bodies of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bonn, preliminary negotiations on climate finance were underway this week, with some 200 countries around the world expected to agree on a new global climate finance target ahead of the UN climate change conference COP29. Climate finance involves the world's major economies helping poorer countries invest in projects to limit greenhouse gas emissions and tackle the worsening extreme weather caused by climate change.
Speaking in Baku on June 12 at the World Aviation Summit on Air Navigation, Simon Hocard, Director General of the International Civil Aviation Services Organization (CANSO), said Azerbaijan's commitment to sustainable development reflects a collective determination to tackle the global climate crisis.
In his opinion, holding the summit on air navigation in Baku is appropriate and important, as the city will host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in November. Hockard noted that the topic of climate change is relevant for the aviation industry and poses serious challenges for it. In particular, there is a common goal for global aviation - to achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, and much needs to be done to achieve this.
He explained that the aviation sector currently accounts for 2–3 percent of the world's emissions, "but if no climate and technological measures are taken, this figure could reach 22 percent in the next 20 years, and this cannot be allowed".
Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev, who attended the summit, welcomed the actions of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to develop requirements for airlines to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 5 percent annually by 2030. The minister noted that this is largely achieved by increasing the use of cleaner aviation fuel, which is a step forward in reducing the carbon footprint of aviation worldwide. Babayev believes that more low-carbon solutions, technological innovations, and operational efficiency improvements are needed to guarantee sustainable development in global aviation.
Holding the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Azerbaijan will not only unite the countries of the world but also demonstrate Azerbaijan's leadership role in the energy transition," Haldane Dodd, executive director of Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), said on June 12 on the sidelines of the CANSO World Summit on Air Navigation in Baku.
Speaking at the Baku Air Navigation Summit, Istanbul International Airport Planning Director Ismail Hakki Polat said that Istanbul International Airport has ambitious plans to generate electricity from solar power (200 megawatt SPP) and will be the first airport in the world to cover its electricity needs from SPP.
Director of the State Civil Aviation Agency of Azerbaijan, Arif Mammadov, stressed that high technology, digital development, optimization of flight routes, use of new aircraft, and environmental friendliness of their engines will lead to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation industry of Azerbaijan. In general, he said, it is planned to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the aviation industry around the world by 50 percent by 2030, and Azerbaijan follows these objectives.
COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev met with the Head of the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan, Ambassador Peter Mihalko, on June 12 to discuss possibilities of further cooperation between the European Union and Azerbaijan in the field of environmental protection and preparation for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29).
Moreover, it became known that a seminar on the digitalization of companies within the framework of COP29 was held in Azerbaijan on June 13, as UNESCAP representative Heather Strauss informed reporters.
This week, the press service of the Azerbaijani operating company COP29 reported on the launch of the project "COP29 Academy" to ensure the active participation of young people in the direction of environmental education and climate change.
Meanwhile, it also became known that a meeting entitled "Road from Dubai to Baku - Pre-COP29" was organized in Ashgabat on June 12, 2024, with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan, the embassies of Azerbaijan, and the United Arab Emirates in Turkmenistan.
Furthermore, an agreement was signed this week between the Azneft Production Association (APA) of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Sakuraz Green Energy ("SGE"), providing for strategic cooperation on batteries for electricity storage, in line with SOCAR's "green" development steps.
Vice President of German company Uniper Michael Hilmer told Trend that there are opportunities for joint activities between Uniper and SOCAR in the field of energy transition and renewable energy sources (RES). According to him, green hydrogen has also become a topic of knowledge exchange within the cooperation between Uniper and SOCAR.
He recalled that SOCAR and Uniper established a joint venture in 2016, which is currently completing the implementation of the first project to improve and increase the efficiency of the steam generator complex located on the territory of the Azerkimya Production Association (SOCAR structure) in Sumgayit.
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