Waiting for a COP-out In Deja Vu Baku

We're smack in the middle of 2024, and ladies and gentlemen, it's time once again for another round of COP, the annual climate catharsis festival. This year's group event is set to happen at Baku's Olympic Stadium in oil-and-gas-rich Azerbaijan from November 11 to 22. Olympic Stadium... hang on, did the ex-Soviet Union state ever...? No, the country has never hosted the 'pics. But showing intent never hurt anyone. Ask Yalchin Rafiyev, Azerbaijan's deputy foreign minister and lead negotiator for COP29.

In an interview, Rafiyev declared that COP29 would be a 'moment of truth for the climate community' and a 'litmus test for the Paris Agreement'. Azerbaijan's vision for COP29 rests on enhancing ambition and enabling action. In a world wracked by climate impacts, such optimism is, well, the ultimate exercise in positive thinking. Unfortunately, it is not refreshingly new. COP27 in Egypt was supposed to be an 'implementation COP', with the president declaring, 'We must work together for implementation. We need to act, and act now, to save lives and livelihoods.' A year later, in Dubai, we heard COP28 would be an inclusive COP. Yes, we did have the Loss and Damage Fund, but where is the money? So, let's keep our fingers crossed that COP29 will not turn out to be just hot air. Meanwhile, we can keep counting Baku's yeti-sized carbon footprint.