{"id":321204,"date":"2024-11-21T16:33:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T12:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/?p=321204"},"modified":"2024-11-21T16:34:26","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T12:34:26","slug":"can-azerbaijan-balance-oil-profits-with-climate-commitments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/can-azerbaijan-balance-oil-profits-with-climate-commitments\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Azerbaijan balance oil profits with climate commitments?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The government of Azerbaijan has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030 and 40% by 2050. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the host of COP29, Baku has emphasized this target as a cornerstone of its climate change strategy, with details available on the official COP29 website, cop29.az. However, for a nation heavily reliant on oil and gas production, the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/az\/article\/karbon-qoxuyan-baki-havasi-temizlenecekmi\/\"> feasibility of these ambitious goals<\/a> is under scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the State Statistics Committee, Azerbaijan emitted 59 million tons of carbon equivalent in 2022\u2014a 1.7% increase from the previous year. The energy sector is responsible for 92% of these emissions, highlighting the significant environmental impact of the country\u2019s oil and gas industries compared to other sectors like transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SOCAR\u2019s pledge vs. reality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>SOCAR, Azerbaijan\u2019s state oil company, joined the <em>Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter<\/em> (OGDC) at COP28, alongside over 50 international firms. The company pledged to eliminate routine flaring by 2030, cut carbon emissions in extraction by 30%, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. However, data from SOCAR\u2019s <em>Sustainable Development 2023<\/em> report raises doubts about its ability to meet these targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, SOCAR operations emitted 8.36 million tons of greenhouse gases\u2014an increase from 7.8 million tons the previous year. Key contributors include \u201cAzneft\u201d Production Union, the Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery, and other facilities like the Methanol and Urea Plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mirvari Kahramanli, head of the Organization for the Protection of Oil Workers&#8217; Rights, remains skeptical. \u201cDespite SOCAR\u2019s commitments, the public sees little evidence of reduced emissions. Oil production will naturally decline by 2050, but I doubt emissions will reach net zero,\u201d she told <em>Meydan TV<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kahramanli also criticized SOCAR\u2019s environmental policies, noting a lack of transparency and meaningful progress. \u201cSOCAR&#8217;s environmental track record is poor. Videos I\u2019ve posted show the ongoing environmental damage caused by its operations,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Weak enforcement and budget cuts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite fines levied by Azerbaijan\u2019s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, enforcement remains weak. SOCAR and its subsidiaries reportedly pay fines using state budget funds rather than implementing significant waste reduction measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, SOCAR\u2019s oil and gas operations were fined 622,642 AZN for environmental violations, and in 2023, these fines totaled 16,500 AZN. Meanwhile, the company reduced its environmental protection budget from 34 million AZN in 2022 to just 15 million in 2023\u2014a 2.2-fold decrease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Baku\u2019s air pollution problem<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Frequent air quality issues, particularly in Baku, have further fueled public concern. A recent incident at the Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery caused a strong odor in the city, with the company attributing it to gas flaring to prevent accidents. However, experts argue that inadequate maintenance of gas capture systems exacerbates air pollution, releasing harmful gases directly into the atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reconstruction of the refinery, aimed at reducing emissions, has been ongoing since 2017 but remains incomplete. Emissions from the facility increased by 26% in 2022 compared to the previous year, underscoring the slow progress. The modernization project, with a budget of $2.2 billion, is critical to aligning SOCAR\u2019s operations with international standards, yet its completion date remains uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can Azerbaijan meet its climate goals?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Azerbaijan\u2019s reliance on oil and gas poses significant hurdles to achieving its emission reduction targets. While SOCAR\u2019s commitments reflect international pressure to decarbonize, critics question the company\u2019s capacity to deliver meaningful results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Azerbaijan to make tangible progress, experts emphasize the need for stronger enforcement of environmental regulations, greater transparency from SOCAR, and accelerated modernization of key infrastructure. Without these measures, the country\u2019s ambitious climate goals may remain out of reach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The government of Azerbaijan has committed to reducing greenhouse gas &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Can Azerbaijan balance oil profits with climate commitments?\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/can-azerbaijan-balance-oil-profits-with-climate-commitments\/#more-321204\" aria-label=\"Read more about Can Azerbaijan balance oil profits with climate commitments?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":97424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[80,43,37,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-321204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-en","category-investigations","category-news","category-politics","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Can Azerbaijan balance oil profits with climate commitments? - MEYDAN.TV<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/can-azerbaijan-balance-oil-profits-with-climate-commitments\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can Azerbaijan balance oil profits with climate commitments? - MEYDAN.TV\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The government of Azerbaijan has committed to reducing greenhouse gas ... 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