TL/DR –
So COP29 chief Elnur Soltanov got caught with his hand in the oil jar, trying to cut fossil fuel deals at a climate summit—because nothing says “saving the planet” like more gas pipelines, right? Didn’t we agree on ditching fossil fuels last year? It’s wild out here when your so-called climate heroes are moonlighting as fossil fuel agents, turning COP into “Cashing in On Petroleum”.
At the COP29 climate conference, Azerbaijan’s Elnur Soltanov allegedly arranged meetings for fossil fuel deals, captured on secret recording. Soltanov, leading Azerbaijan’s COP29 team, discussed “investment opportunities” in oil and gas with a supposed investor.
“We have a lot of gas fields ready for development,” he remarked. A former UN climate head called Soltanov’s actions “unacceptable” and a “COP betrayal.”
Soltanov, also Azerbaijan’s deputy energy minister, didn’t comment on the issue. Fossil fuels power half of Azerbaijan’s economy, per US data. Azerbaijan has rich oil and natural gas deposits
During the meeting, Soltanov emphasized “solving the climate crisis” but remained open to oil and gas discussions. He suggested investors might be interested in Socar’s “green transitioning projects” but pivoted to gas production plans.
Natural gas was described as a “transitional fuel,” while UN climate science stresses new oil and gas fields contradict efforts to limit warming. The previous COP summit agreed on transitioning away from fossil fuels.
