Tbilisi, Georgia - November 11, 2024 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg held a protest in central Tbilisi against the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) that began in Baku. Later, she moved to the Georgian parliament building, where the Georgian opposition is holding a rally. “Azerbaijan, using COP29 as a façade, is increasing control under a false “green” agenda, tightening its grip on power and increasing regional tensions,” Thunberg wrote in the announcement of the protest. The activist also blamed the “collective West” for the authoritarian drift, saying that it “continues to legitimize and finance despotic regimes for the sake of energy and profit.” The Georgian protest was organized by the Caucasian Feminist Anti-War Movement, which demands “a future free from the suffocation of authoritarianism, war, and capitalist greed.” Due to Azerbaijan's closed land borders in 2020, the only way to get to Baku is by plane, which has become a barrier for many climate activists due to the carbon footprint of aviation. Thunberg, like many other activists, refused to attend the conference itself due to the repressive political climate in Azerbaijan. It is not only environmental activists who are criticizing the venue of the climate conference. International human rights organizations note that the Azerbaijani authorities persecute those who speak out about environmental issues, and there are hundreds of political prisoners in the country. In addition, the negotiations will be led by former top manager of the state oil company Mukhtar Babayev, and Azerbaijan itself intends to triple gas production, which contradicts the environmental agenda.