A senior official at COP29 local weather change convention in Azerbaijan seems to have used his position to rearrange a gathering to debate potential fossil gas offers, the BBC can report.
A secret recording reveals the chief government of Azerbaijan’s COP29 staff, Elnur Soltanov, discussing “investment opportunities” within the state oil and fuel firm with a person posing as a possible investor.
“We have a lot of gas fields that are to be developed,” he says.
A former head of the UN physique liable for the local weather talks instructed the BBC that Soltanov’s actions have been “completely unacceptable” and a “betrayal” of the COP course of.
As effectively as being the chief government of COP29, Soltanov can also be the deputy vitality minister of Azerbaijan and is on the board of Socar.
Azerbaijan’s COP29 staff has not responded to a request for remark.
Oil and fuel accounts for about half of Azerbaijan’s whole financial system and greater than 90% of its exports, based on US figures.
COP29 will open in Baku on Monday and is the twenty ninth annual UN local weather summit, the place governments focus on the right way to restrict and put together for local weather change, and lift world ambition to deal with the problem.
However, that is the second yr in a row the BBC has revealed alleged wrongdoing by the host authorities.
The BBC has been proven paperwork and secret video recordings made by the human rights organisation, Global Witness.
It is known that considered one of its representatives approached the COP29 staff posing as the pinnacle of a fictitious Hong Kong funding agency specialising in vitality.
He stated this firm was interested by sponsoring the COP29 summit however wished to debate funding alternatives in Azerbaijan’s state vitality agency, Socar, in return. An on-line assembly with Soltanov was organized.
During the assembly, Soltanov instructed the potential sponsor that the intention of the convention was “solving the climate crisis” and “transitioning away from hydrocarbons in a just, orderly and equitable manner”.
Anyone, he stated, together with oil and fuel corporations, “could come with solutions” as a result of Azerbaijan’s “doors are open”.
However, he stated he was open to discussions about offers too – together with on oil and fuel.
Initially, Soltanov steered the potential sponsor could be interested by investing in a number of the “green transitioning projects” Socar was concerned in – however then spoke of alternatives associated to Azerbaijan’s plans to extend fuel manufacturing, together with new pipeline infrastructure.
“There are a lot of joint ventures that could be established,” Soltanov says on the recording. “Socar is trading oil and gas all over the world, including in Asia.”
Soltanov then described pure fuel as a “transitional fuel”, including: “We will have a certain amount of oil and natural gas being produced, perhaps forever.”
The UN local weather science physique, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, acknowledges there shall be a task for some oil and fuel as much as 2050 and past. However, it has been very clear that “developing… new oil and gas fields is incompatible with limiting warming to 1.5C”.
It additionally goes towards the settlement the world made on the final world local weather summit to transition away from fossil fuels.
Soltanov appeared keen to assist get discussions going, telling the potential sponsor: “I would be happy to create a contact between your team and their team [Socar] so that they can start discussions.”
A few weeks later the faux Hong Kong funding firm obtained an electronic mail – Socar wished to observe up on the lead.
Attempting to do enterprise offers as a part of the COP course of seems to be a severe breach of the requirements of conduct anticipated of a COP official.
These occasions are purported to be about lowering the world’s use of fossil fuels – the principle driver of local weather change – not promoting extra.
The requirements are set by the UN physique liable for the local weather negotiations, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The UN stated it couldn’t remark immediately on our findings however remarked that “the same rigorous standards” are utilized to whoever hosts the convention, and that these requirements mirror “the importance of impartiality on the part of all presiding officers”.
Its code of conduct for COP officers states they’re “expected to act without bias, prejudice, favouritism, caprice, self-interest, preference or deference, strictly based on sound, independent and fair judgement.
“They are additionally anticipated to make sure that private views and convictions don’t compromise or seem to compromise their position and capabilities as a UNFCCC officer.”
Christiana Figueres, who oversaw the signing of the 2015 Paris agreement to limit global temperature rises to well below 2C, told the BBC that she was shocked anyone in the COP process would use their position to strike oil and gas deals.
She said such behaviour was “opposite and egregious” to the the purpose of COP and “a treason” to the process.
The BBC has also seen emails between the COP29 team and the fake investors.
In one chain, the team discusses a $600,000 (£462,000) sponsorship deal with a fake company in return for the Socar introduction and involvement in an event about “sustainable oil and fuel investing” during COP29.
Officials offered five passes with full access to the summit and drafted a contract which initially required the firm to make some commitments to sustainability. Then it pushed back, one requirement was dropped and “corrections” were considered to another.
The BBC asked Azerbaijan’s COP29 team and Socar for comment. Neither responded to the requests.
The findings come a year after the BBC obtained leaked documents that revealed plans by the UAE to use its role as host of COP28 to strike oil and gas deals.
COP28 was the first time agreement was reached on the need to transition away from fossil fuels.
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