In response to president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, announcing the COP29 Organising Committee, Oil Change International US Campaign Manager Collin Rees, said:
“COP29 must make serious progress to achieve a fair, funded transition away from all fossil fuels before it’s too late. We must shift away from the business as usual that’s threatening lives and wrecking the climate. And yet, Azerbaijan is pushing is closer to the abyss by appointing another lifelong oil man as COP President and an all-male organisational committee riddled with oil and gas executives to lead the next UN climate talks.
“The climate movement demands a process free of fossil influence, including real conflict-of-interest policies to keep fossil interests from co-opting the talks and social pressure to block the oil, gas, and coal industries from leading the energy transition.”