“It’s revolting. Absolutely revolting. How can any human drop phosphorus on another human, especially a child? Have you ever met people capable of such acts? Dropping phosphorus on an infant?” These were the words of Canadian activist Philip Master, participating in the annual global climate conference, COP29, held this year in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, and which Daraj is partaking in.
Earlier, the conference presidency announced that 132 countries had joined the COP Truce initiative, a call for a ceasefire during the conference month. The initiative, supported by over 1,000 international institutions, private sector representatives, civil society organizations, and public figures, aims to “halt military operations” during the summit. Dubbed the “COP of Peace,” this year’s conference is the first to address the link between armed conflicts and climate change through both official Arab delegations and concerned civil society organizations, according to Habib Maalouf, head of the Lebanese negotiating team. Maalouf represents Environment Minister Nasser Yassin, who was absent from the conference due to his role leading Lebanon’s emergency committee amid the ongoing Israeli war on the country.
Speaking to Daraj from Baku, Maalouf confirmed that the conference agenda includes evaluating the impacts of wars from various angles: the arms industry, the use of weapons, and their environmental and social repercussions.
Benjamin Schachter, the coordinator of the Environment and Climate Change team at the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told Daraj that most participants have called for an immediate ceasefire, emphasizing that “climate justice cannot be achieved without human rights and gender equality.”
Schachter referenced the UN Declaration on the Right to Development, which specifically highlights the necessity of disarmament and redirecting resources from disarmament to promote development and human rights. He added that “the International Law Commission has affirmed states’ obligations to protect human rights, including the right to a healthy environment, in all contexts, including conflicts.”
Energy Embargo and Protests
In Baku, activists staged a sit-in demanding an embargo on energy supplies used to “fuel genocide.” While Israel was not explicitly named, the Palestinian keffiyeh was prominently displayed during the protest on Monday under the banner “Energy Embargo Now.”
“We hear the word ‘genocide’ constantly, and it has almost become normalized,” said one participant. “The global energy system has fueled the war machine causing this genocide. We are calling for an energy embargo because it is the primary resource sustaining this war.”
Activist Akram Khalili told Daraj that “Israel commits crimes in Gaza and Lebanon because it has access to the energy and weapons it needs.” Khalili added, “We are at the climate summit in Baku alongside groups from Brazil, Turkey, and South Africa, who are urging their governments to halt energy transfers to Israel.” The Global Energy Embargo for Palestine campaign began in February 2024, with activists noting that Colombia, which supplied nearly 70 percent of Israel’s energy, was among the first to respond to the campaign.
A Climate Deception
Israel is promoting itself in Baku as a leader in combating climate change. A month before the climate summit began, an article titled “Israeli Technologies That Will Help Cool the World: From a Refrigerator That Operates Without Electricity to a Mosquito-Eating Robot” was widely circulated.
Israel is among the top promoters of carbon capture technologies, with 20 Israeli climate technology companies selected to represent the country at COP29. These companies are showcasing their solutions in the Blue Zone, the central hub of the event, specifically in the Delegation Pavilions, where Israel has its own pavilion.
At the same time, Israel is waging a “war on climate” in Lebanon and Gaza. Research indicates that the carbon emissions from the first two months of the war on Gaza exceeded the annual carbon footprint of over 20 countries highly vulnerable to climate change. Studies conducted by researchers in the UK and US estimate that more than 281,000 tons of carbon emissions were released during the first 60 days of the conflict in Gaza.
Carbon Politics and Greenwashing
The Guardian reported that at least 480 carbon capture and storage (CCS) lobbyists had access to the UN climate summit, with nearly half gaining entry as members of national delegations, granting them privileged access to negotiations. The Azerbaijani government invited around 55 of these lobbyists to participate in the conference.
“The idea of carbon trading was proposed by physicist Cesare Marchetti in 1976, but it’s a game — climate change cannot be solved by selling carbon,” said Habib Maalouf to Daraj. Similarly, Mohammed Lamai, Head of Capacity Building at the Climate Action Network International, told Daraj: “Carbon capture and credits are a false strategy pushed by the Global North, industries, and fossil fuel companies onto the Global South. These schemes effectively seize community lands and hand them over to polluting companies for financial gain.”
Speaking to Daraj, Mohammed Abdel Monem of the Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change stated: “Countries call for reducing emissions on one hand while funding wars on the other, which emit more in an hour than the Arab region does in a whole year.” Mohammed Lamai, Head of Capacity Building at the Climate Action Network International, concurred, saying: “What we’ve seen over the years is continuous funding for wars, genocide, killing people, and producing weapons and ammunition, resources that could have been redirected to combat climate change.”
According to environmental activist Philip Master, “Countries say they want to save the environment using technology, yet they manufacture machines, chemicals, and medicines that kill people, destroy the environment, and spread pollution.”
Funding Climate Action Instead of Genocide
During meetings in Baku, civil society activists demanded an end to funding genocide, calling instead for investments in climate justice. Experts at Daraj highlighted the profound impact of armed conflicts on climate change, noting that Arab countries are particularly affected. At a Mediterranean Pavilion seminar, the Union for the Mediterranean forecasted a temperature rise of 4°C in the Arab region due to its geography and ongoing conflicts.
Within this context, in an interview with Daraj, Mohammed Abdel Monem, member of the Mediterranean Climate Change Committee, emphasized the devastating impact of wars on environmental resilience in the region:”The wars and conflicts in the Middle East have exacerbated people’s suffering, turning conflict zones into areas that are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.”
Mahmoud Fathallah, Director of Environmental Affairs and Meteorology at the League of Arab States, expanded on this, stating:”The Arab region is experiencing a significant concentration of pollutants and carbon emissions, primarily due to ongoing conflicts that have persisted for over a decade.”
Benjamin Schachter, Coordinator of the Environment and Climate Change team at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, highlighted the long-term environmental toll of warfare:”Conflicts cause long-term environmental damage. The infrastructure of war directly contributes to climate change through emissions and hinders our ability to uphold human rights, including the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.”
This sentiment was echoed by Piero Lionello, Professor of Atmospheric Physics and Oceanography, who noted:”Wars shift government and public focus toward urgent priorities, delaying or disrupting measures to mitigate or address climate change. They also create conditions that lead to more conflicts in affected areas, as resources become scarcer and more sensitive to demand and use.”
At the COP climate summit in Baku, participants aimed to agree on a new climate finance target for post-2025, known as the “New Collective Quantified Goal” (NCQG). In this context, an Arab negotiating group advocated for reparations addressing environmental losses caused by the wars in Lebanon and Palestine. Mahmoud Fathallah, Director of Environmental Affairs and Meteorology at the League of Arab States, highlighted that the delegation collectively recognized the environmental damages caused by the ongoing Israeli war, stressing its cross-border impacts on neighboring countries.
While Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called for “turning billions into trillions” to tackle climate and human rights challenges, Benjamin Schachter offered a more cautious perspective: “We cannot set a specific number to protect human rights in the climate context, nor should we try.”
Within this context, Maalouf provided a sobering analysis: “Developed countries will not adhere to their financial commitments as outlined in the Paris Agreement of 2015. This issue is entangled with political crises, such as wars in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. There are expectations that this clause might be used to direct reparations toward Ukraine, while the fate of compensations meant for developing countries affected by wars remains unclear.”
Catalina Jaime, Head of the Climate and Conflicts team at the Red Cross and Red Crescent Climate Centre, concurs with Maalouf, pointing out that “the money spent on military operations and weapons purchasing contributes to losing the opportunity to save the planet.” In an interview with Daraj from Baku, she added, “We are losing the battle for the future of humanity and the environment because of these military priorities.”
This report was supported by the “Qareeb” program, implemented by CFI Media Development and funded by the French Development Agency (AFD).
