That outnumbers all but 3 country delegations at #COP29—and the delegations of the 10 most climate-vulnerable nations combined. Civil society organizations are calling on COP to #weedoutthesnakes.

Fortunately, there is much more to Old City Baku. There are also lots of cats!

Check out #5 on the playlist, “A Song of the Caspian Oilmen.”

And here’s a singing statue of Muslim Magomayev, a renowned Azerbaijani opera singer.

Here’s a monument to a chemist who helped develop Azerbaijan’s oil refining and petrochemical industry. (He’s also credited with inventing the incendiary “Molotov cocktail.”)

Here in Baku, there’s no escaping fossil fuels, the primary driver of #climatechange. Ironic, yes—and also a fitting reminder of the powerful vested interests we must overcome. #COP29

Greetings from Baku, Azerbaijan, where I’m at the international climate negotiations with my @ucsusa.bsky.social colleagues. #COP29