Climate activist has called a protest tonight in Tbilisi, Georgia, as it is the closest many who wish to attend the climate talks but do not wish to fly there can get to Baku
Climate activist Greta Thunberg has slammed Cop29 as just another “authoritarian petrostate with no respect for human rights.”
She has called a protest tonight in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she has been for some time.
It is the closest many climate activists – who wish to attend the climate talks but do not wish to fly there – can get to Baku, since Azerbaijan has closed its land borders.
Thunberg, 21, has said she would not attend the conference in Baku, due to the repressive political climate.
She said: “Azerbaijan, using COP29 as a façade, is ramping up control under a false “green” agenda, tightening its grip on power, and escalating regional tensions. For over 20 years, Azerbaijan’s regime led by Aliyev has kept people oppressed, fostering poverty, fear, and silence. Those who speak out–journalists, activists, scholars–are often met with imprisonment and violence. Under this system, climate action is reduced to corporate profit schemes, leaving people’s needs ignored and communities devastated.”
She added: “The climate crisis is just as much about protecting human rights as it is about protecting the climate and biodiversity. You cannot claim to care about climate justice if you ignore the sufferings of oppressed and colonised people today. We cannot pick and choose whose human rights to care for, and who to leave behind. Climate justice means justice, safety and freedom for everyone.”
