Caspian Energy (CE): What are the main issues for the EU that require a much broader focus and attention to improve the environmental situation? Are those issues on the agenda of the upcoming COP29 conference in Baku?

Wopke Hoekstra, EU Commissioner for Climate Action: Climate change is a reality. The science is clear. International cooperation in the field of climate is essential as climate change knows no borders. We need to keep a high ambition globally and at home, bringing everyone on board. One of the main areas of focus is to work closely with partners to accelerate the global just and inclusive clean transition.

At COP29, ministers and leaders must 1) reaffirm their commitment to transition away from fossil fuels, and de­monstrate how they are taking steps to do so, 2) agree a new, ambitious and achievable goal for climate finance that brings confidence that the public and private resources will be there to support this transition and 3) launch an international carbon market in line with the Paris agreement with rules that deliver environmental integrity, transparency and accountability. 

The COP will also be an important moment to check that we are all making progress with preparing our next round of emissions reduction targets, ahead of COP30 in Brazil. We believe that Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that effectively address the Global Stocktake outcome, including ‘transitioning away from fossil fuels’ are essential. 

CE: How would you assess the organization work within the framework of COP29? Do you find its agenda sa­tisfactory? 

Wopke Hoekstra: Azerbaijan is putting a lot of efforts in the preparation and is doing a good job in organising the UN Climate Change conference. Each COP builds on the work of previous years, and it is important that we have the space to move forward on the implementation of the ‘UAE consensus’, which laid the ground last year for a swift, just and equitable global transition to climate neutral economies in line with limiting global warming to 1,5°C.

The COP29 Presidency has identified their priorities: the new collective quantified goal (NCQG) on climate finance, international carbon markets under Article 6, and setting in motion the process for preparing the new NDCs to be submitted by 2025. These are priorities shared by the EU and many other Parties. 

We also need to continue the work we started at COP28 on targets for the global goal on adaptation and its framework, the operationalisation of funding arrangements for respon­ding to loss and damage, including a new dedicated fund, as well as on the work programmes on just transition and on mitigation ambition and implementation. Parties also need to keep working on the implementation of nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches, and protecting, conserving and restoring nature and ecosystems.

CE: What do you think the outcome of the COP29 session will be?

Wopke Hoekstra: The UAE consensus was a crucial step towards the global implementation of the Paris Agreement, at a moment when global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are still above what they must be to keep the 1,5C objective within reach. Mi­nisters and leaders must reaffirm their commitment to transition away from fossil fuels and begin to demonstrate how they are taking steps to do so. 

We also need to agree a new, ambitious and achievable goal for climate finance that brings confidence that the public and private resources will be there to support this transition. I am under no illusion that this will be easy negotiations, but we are determined to find a fair and ambitious outcome, which reflects emissions and financial capacities as they stand now, not as they were 30 years ago. 

Finally, we need to launch an international carbon market under the Paris agreement with rules that deliver environmental integrity, transparency and accountability. 

CE: How coordinated do you find the international efforts taken to address environmental challenges?

Wopke Hoekstra: International cooperation in the field of climate is essential, and well established. Think about platforms like the United Nations, G7/G20 and OECD. Climate has been topping the agenda here in recent years and will continue to do so. 

In fact, both G7 and G20 have historically played a central role in shaping multilateral climate action outcomes. While in the most recent years the G7 have set their own ambitious commitments, G20 increasingly plays a key role as its members cover two-thirds of the world’s population and produces approximately 80% of global GDP and greenhouse gas emissions. The 2023 Japanese (G7) and the Indian (G20) Presidencies paved the way to the COP28 outcome of the global stocktake.

It is in our hands as members of those platforms to ensure that we use any available opportunity that plurilateral processes offer.

CE: How justified from the scientific point of view is the hypothesis on human induced climate change on the planet? 

Wopke Hoekstra: The scientific evidence that climate change is caused by human activity is indisputable. While natural factors like changes in solar energy, ocean circulation, and volcanic activity have influenced Earth’s climate in the past, they cannot explain the rapid temperature rise observed since the mid-20th century. 

Today, the primary driver of climate change is the dramatic increase in greenhouse gases, which is due to human activities. Since the Industrial Revolution, the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas has raised atmospheric carbon dio­xide (CO2) levels from 280 parts per million (ppm) to over 420 ppm. Methane levels have more than doubled. This unpre­cedented rise is far faster than any caused by natural events in Earth’s history.

Climate models confirm that human induced GHG emissions are the cause for nearly all the warming since 1950. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), natural factors alone cannot explain this rapid change. 

CE: In the course of the past COP28 conference, the parties agreed on phase-out of fossil fuel. To what deg­ree will this process comply with the principles of the free-market economy which the EU’s core foundation was based on? To what extent are small and medium businesses involved? 

Wopke Hoekstra: Let us recall, and underline, that the EU is based on a social market economy, not on free and unregulated markets. That means we use our policy tools to ensure positive benefits for European society, and figh­ting climate change is one of the key policy priorities for Europe. Fossil fuels are the main cause of climate change, pollution, bad air quality, etc. It is natural that we seek to phase them out, in a smooth and just transition, and promote clean alternative energy sources.

There are several different elements to the agreement reached at COP28. With the UAE consensus all Parties agreed to phase out fossil fuels, with competitive, sustainable industries and a just transition that leaves no one behind. All Parties must take forward all elements of the agreed outcome. These discussions will continue in the annual Global Stocktake dialogue planned at COP29. The next important step is to translate these global efforts into action during the preparation of the NDCs. 

For the EU, promoting a just transition means carefully designing mitigation policies that enhance social development and economic growth, through job creation, improvements in job quality and incomes, education and training, economic diversification, social protection measures, and access to essential services such as clean affor­dable energy and public transportation, improved ecosystem services, air quality and other related health benefits. 

Lastly, in regard to the engagement of small and medium-sized enterprises, the EU supports the leadership and the work of the UN Climate Change High-level Champions in supporting the effective involvement of non-Party stakeholders. We encourage the high-level champions, the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action and non-Party stakeholders to consider the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake in their work on scaling-up and introdu­cing new or strengthened voluntary efforts, initiatives and coalitions. Domestically, there are many special rules and measures to support small businesses across Europe with the implementation of climate policies, and other policies.

CE: Is there cooperation held bet­ween the EU and Caspian region states to mitigate consequences of climate change?

Wopke Hoekstra: The Caspian region and Caucasus are already severely impacted by climate change; in fact, the Caspian Sea is shrinking as a combined result of climate change and other environmental factors.

Climate action with a focus on adaptation is largely present in our bilateral cooperation with Azerbaijan. This year the EU will invest in sustainable water management and sustainable transport, including action to identify and reduce climate vulnerabilities.

Furthermore, the EU and Azerbaijan have a very important strategic energy partnership. Actions on methane and renewables are progressing very well as well. Azerbaijan has also joined the Global Methane Pledge in February 2024 and its national oil and gas company SOCAR is about to join the Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0. 

Thank you for the interview.