More than 100 heads of state and government are expected to land in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, over the next few days, and the first thing they are likely to notice is the smell of oil. Flaring from refineries in the centre of the city lights up the night sky, while the capital itself is dotted with diminutive "nodding donkey" oil wells, raising and lowering their pistons as they draw the liquid from the earth. Even the national symbol is a gas flame.
Azerbaijan was built on oil, and fossil fuels make up 90% of its exports. There could be no starker reminder of the core question world leaders have come to Baku to decide: whether the planet will burn so fossil fuel producers can continue to make money, or whether they will take a different path.
That the world's biggest economy, the US, is about to shift away from the focus on clean energy fostered by the outgoing president, Joe Biden, towards the "drill, baby, drill" policies of Donald Trump will be the main topic of conversation for the tens of thousands of delegates at the Cop29 UN climate meeting.
However, many will point out that no country in the world has ever in history produced as much oil and gas as the US does now, with 20% more oil and gas licences issued during the Biden administration than during Trump's first term.
Climate leaders around the world reacted to the US election defiantly. "The result from this election will be seen as a major blow to global climate action, but it cannot and will not halt the changes under way to decarbonise the economy and meet the goals of the Paris agreement," declared Christiana Figueres, the former UN climate chief and cofounder of the Global Optimism thinktank.
This story is from the November 09, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 09, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Money hacks How to use your Christmas gift vouchers wisely
The first thing to do is read the small print (it could be very small if it is squeezed on the back).
'It's not job done' More change to come as M&S gets its spark back
M&S menswear, above, is starting to compete for style with specialist rivals while the company's menswear has successfully caught the attention of younger buyers
Taken to court ... as a victim of identity theft
A fraudulent phone contract has been taken out in my husband's name and he is now threatened with court action.
New start Is 2025 the right time to become your own boss?
Going freelance is not without risk but if you want to shed the shackles of your 9-5, then Suzanne Bearne can help you plan it properly
Feeling the heat British Gas hit by 400,000 complaints
It has been both astonishing and appalling in equal measure,\" says Jonathan Hattersley, 66, from Cambridgeshire.
Biden Blocks Japanese Firm's $15bn Bid for US Steel Over Security Fears
Joe Biden blocked a $14.9bn (£12bn) bid by Japan's Nippon Steel for US Steel yesterday, citing concerns the deal could hurt national security and following through on a pledge to keep the company domestically owned as he prepares to depart the White House.
We're like snipers' Lethal and cheap, drones dominate the frontline now
Denys, a soldier with Ukraine's Khyzhak brigade, describes a new kind of war. Standing in a barracks workshop with piles of basic Ukrainian first-person view (FPV) drones behind him, he says: \"There are fewer gunfights because there are more drone fights.\" Frontlines that were once a gunshot apart are now a killing zone several miles deep as Russian and Ukrainian drone squads hidden behind the frontlines target each other's forces with aerial attacks. \"Back in 2022, we were still running around with machine guns from the tree lines,\" Denys says, almost with nostalgia.
Profits at GB News owner's hedge fund plunge 64%
Profits at the hedge fund co-founded by the GB News and Spectator owner Sir Paul Marshall plunged by almost two-thirds last year, resulting in significantly reduced payouts for its partners.
Call to stick to tougher green targets amid record EV sales
Carmakers sold a record number of electric cars in the UK last year, prompting environmental groups to urge the government to stick to tougher green targets even as the industry argues they are unsustainable.
Handbags and watches help take Thailand PM's declared worth to £322m
Thailand's prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has declared £322m in assets, including a collection of 217 designer handbags and 75 luxury watches in submissions on her wealth to a government body.
