It’s four months out until the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 29, is hosted in Azerbaijan. This is the third year in a row that the world’s largest climate change convening is hosted by an authoritarian regime.
In February, a group of Azerbaijani organizations created the Climate of Justice Initiative. In outlining their vision, they criticized the rise of greenhouse gas emissions and inequitable distribution of domestic water resources. They lamented corruption and repression of civil society — including the arrest of politicians, journalists, and social activists on fabricated charges.
They wrote that they see COP 29 as an “opportunity to promote civil liberties, public participation, and environmental justice in Azerbaijan.”
About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
