The 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan of all places. Azerbaijan is one of the birthplaces of the oil industry and the country has one of the world's highest carbon-driven energy self-sufficiency ratios, with a production-to-demand balance the envy of most European countries.
With an estimated 40,000-50,000 delegates in attendance, there will be no shortage of wind power on display. But the annual jamboree kicked off at the same time that the Republican Party was edging towards full control of Capitol Hill for the next two years — with all the attendant implications for the US energy mix going forward. The newly installed president-elect won’t make it to Baku, but like Banquo's ghost, Donald Trump’s disembodied presence and “drill, baby, drill” mantra will cast a pall over proceedings.
Trump aside, several prominent world leaders, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and German chancellor Olaf Scholz, won’t be attending the climate summit, albeit for a variety of reasons. Joe Biden, too, has more pressing engagements as he prepares to vacate the Oval Office. Happily, Sir Keir Starmer will be flying the flag for the UK, although a trip to the oil-rich republic might come as a blessed relief following public reaction to the Budget.