Rows of oil rigs dot the shores of the Caspian Sea; derricks abound across the city and flares from refineries puncture the sky.
This is Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, where in just a few months the world will gather to tackle climate change.
It may seem an unusual place for climate talks but the ex-Soviet republic in the Caucasus says it can be a bridge between disparate regions when it hosts Cop29 this November.
“It is a unique chance for us to step into a higher league,” said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, at the Shusha Global Media Forum on Saturday.
“We work with developing countries to build bridges between the Global South and Global North.”
It was in Azerbaijan that the first oil wells were dug and Baku once supplied half of the world’s needs.
The country is known as the “land of fire” thanks to its vast reserves of natural gas that seep to the surface in places and start blazing.
This black gold was so plentiful it rose to the surface with even famed explorer Marco Polo commenting on the oilfields of the Caucasus.
However, signs for state-owned oil company, Socar, and installations commemorating the fossil fuel industry are now being joined by adverts for Cop29.
In about three months, representatives from about 200 countries will meet in Baku to try to address climate change.
Mr Aliyev said he was not a climate specialist and was six months in to “trying to understand the situation”.
“We all understand 1.5ºC plus is a disaster but at the same time, many uncertainties still exist,” said Mr Aliyev, in the three-hour question and answer session. “For me, frankly, it is not yet clear.
“What I realise is there is a big, big, mistrust between developed and developing countries.”
A country steeped in fossil fuel history
Azerbaijan emerged from the Soviet era to remain unashamedly an oil and gas producer. Today, fossil fuels account for close to 90 per cent of its export revenues and its economy is highly dependent on them.
Mr Aliyev hit out at hypocrisy in the West during the session saying European countries asked him to invest in the sector as they try to find other gas sources than Russia and then say they won’t need gas in a decade.
“We must be crazy to invest billions for something they will not need,” he said. “Then they look into our eyes and say: ‘where is our gas?' So my message is to stop this game. Without fossil fuels, it is not possible to live.”
Switch to a greener future
Cop28 resulted in a deal to transition away from fossil fuels – burning them is the main driver of climate change – but the UN has repeatedly warned the world remains off track to keep temperatures from rising over the key 1.5ºC threshold.
Azerbaijan has signed up to the Paris Climate Agreement and said it is working on a new climate plan. Socar also joined the oil and gas decarbonisation charter announced at Cop28.
“Azerbaijan has made substantial progress on renewables,” said Mr Aliyev.
A drive out of the city past traditional stone houses and signs for Cop29 is the vast Garadagh solar plant. Developed by the UAE’s Masdar and opened last year, the 230-megawatt plant in the sun-punished hills is the country’s first industrial-scale solar project. It will power about 110,000 homes, Masdar said, and aims to cut emissions by 200,000 tonnes a year.
Rows and rows of shimmering solar panels stretch out as far as the eye can see with the oil rigs of the Caspian Sea in the distance.
“Before I worked for oil and gas,” said Masdar country manager for Azerbaijan, Murad Sadikhov. “They said that, you know, you came from the dark side.”
Mr Sadikhov underlined how the country was a global pioneer in oil production and the government said it also wants to be a pioneer in green energy.
“If the world is changing … Azerbaijan should also be one of the leaders,” he said.
“The air in Baku is much cleaner than it was before. The government is continuously doing these things.”
Finance could dominate climate talks
Baku has a tough task to make Cop29 a success. Cops are typically difficult affairs with talks that run late into the night and force the summit into extra time.
It is believed finance – how to pay for that transition away from fossil fuels – will be prominent. The world needs to agree to a new financial pledge to replace the annual $100 billion a year for developing countries.
“It is the most difficult question I have,” said Cop29 president designate, Mukhtar Babayev on Friday, adding it was not an easy job to bridge gaps given Azerbaijan’s fossil fuel economy.
“It is a process of negotiations [and it is] very difficult now to say what will be decided in November in Baku," he said.
“But all of the countries understand these new goals and need to be more ambitious.”
Baku's plan for Cop29
Baku has also in the past week revealed more about its ambitions for the climate talks. Mr Babayev was speaking after a press conference where it launched a $1bn fund to be capitalised by contributions from the fossil fuel industry and aiming to support climate projects in developing countries.
The Cop29 presidency also launched the “Cop truce appeal” which aims to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation more broadly.
Azerbaijan said in the past week it invited Armenia to Cop29 amid a stop-start peace process to try to end a decades-long conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
An Azerbaijan offensive last year retook Karabakh prompting the exodus of more than 100,000 Armenians. Azerbaijan has also said it wants to establish a green zone there but a peace deal has yet to be signed.
“Azerbaijan is now at the end of the Karabakh conflict,” said Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijan’s president.
“Now we turn that page and we are thinking about that peace and we also combine the concept of peace and Cop29.”
It remains to be seen, however, if Armenia will attend or if the countries will meet at Cop29.
Tens of thousands expected
Cop29 takes place at Baku Stadium. Inside is restricted for media for now but a large construction effort is under way to transform the venue.
Elnur Soltanov, Cop29 chief executive and deputy minister of energy, said about 50,000 attendees are expected, with the blue zone to be located in the stadium and the green zone mainly outside but details are still being worked out.
“I think Azerbaijan is really good in terms of logistics and hospitality,” said Mr Soltanov.
But he noted that Cops are “not about showing something to somebody”.
“It's about solving and tackling the climate crisis,” he said.
The task ahead in doing so is clear and urgent. Countries agreed in Paris in 2015 to try to keep temperatures from rising 1.5ºC on pre-industrial levels. Scientists say if this is breached, it brings greater risks for the planet.
The record for the world's hottest day since 1940 has been broken twice this week though, according to the European climate change service. Scientists say man-made climate change is also driving extreme weather from floods to drought.
Azerbaijan is not immune. Scientists say the country is warming faster than other regions and that climate change is playing a role in shrinking the crucial Caspian Sea.
Criticism of the event
Baku's marshalling of the event has been criticised by those who believe the fossil fuel lobby has taken over the talks.
Mr Aliyev, however, hit out at a “broad, co-ordinated, media” attack from the West.
“We tried to explain it is not our fault we have oil and gas. You should not judge us by that. You should judge us on how we use the revenue – how we diversify our economy; how we act on unemployment and poverty,” he said.
“We are now less under fire but we understand that the closer to the event, the fire will grow.”
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Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
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Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
