Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on March 17 gave consideration to the requirement to fight global warming, and named climate change a “crisis multiplier” with implications for global safety. He made the remarks whilst a press conference in Baku along with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, whose energy-rich nation is ready to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in November.
Appreciating Azerbaijan for its “necessary role in delivering (natural) gas to key Nato allies”, Mr Stoltenberg said “the problem is that the world requires energy, but simultaneously we are required to deal with global warming”. “We require to reconcile the need for energy and environment,” he said, adding that “climate change matters for security, matters for Nato”.
The plan to hold a climate summit in oil and gas producer Azerbaijan has been not appreciated by environmental groups. But the tightly controlled Caspian nation is seeking to transform its status as a polluting authoritarian state. Mr Aliyev said that while his nation is a “pan-European gas supplier”, it has an ambitious green transition agenda. He said Azerbaijan’s selection as the host of COP29 from Nov 11 to 24 was a “sign of recognition of our attempts on green transition”.