BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 17. Azerbaijan has
been experiencing an unprecedented surge in flood incidents in
recent years, said Umayra Tagiyeva, Deputy Minister of Ecology and
Natural Resources, Trend reports.
Speaking at a high-level event on “Strengthening Climate
Information and Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems for Increased
Resilience” as part of COP29 in Baku, Tagiyeva noted the latest
data.
“Last year, we recorded 147 flood cases, while this year, the
number has already reached 109. The latest reports from the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicate an increase in
the frequency and duration of heatwaves. In Azerbaijan, heatwaves
have also become more common. Collaborative research involving the
Geography Institute of the Ministry of Science and Education, the
Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural
Resources has led to the development of new products, specifically
medical-meteorological forecasts and warnings,” she said.
These forecasts are designed not only for individuals sensitive
to weather changes, such as those with cardiovascular diseases, but
also for the general public.
“Early warnings about upcoming heatwaves during hot periods have
significantly reduced the number of emergency calls related to heat
and sunstrokes. Despite the increase in hot days, public awareness
campaigns have led to a noticeable decrease in emergency medical
assistance requests compared to previous years,” Tagiyeva
added.
The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will run
until November 22, opened at the Baku Olympic Stadium on November
11. The event is the largest organized by Azerbaijan to date and is
the first time the region has hosted the event in Azerbaijan.
Within COP29, the highest level event – the summit of world
leaders on climate action – was held on November 12–13.
The main expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and
ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) on climate
finance. The COP29 chairmanship has launched 14 initiatives that
include linkages between climate action and the Sustainable
Development Goals, including green energy corridors, green energy
storage, harmony for climate resilience, clean hydrogen, methane
reduction in organic waste, action on green digital technologies,
and other topics.
In addition to being a top priority that creates the conditions
for action, creating climate finance will also help fulfill the
1.5°C pledge by bringing everyone together.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement
signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous
human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP
(Conference of Parties) stands for “Conference of Parties” and is
the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the
Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A total of 198 countries are parties to the Convention. Unless
otherwise decided by the parties, COP is held annually. The first
COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is
located in Bonn.
