The summit may highlight Europe’s continued dependence on oil and gas, even as the region strives to be the global leader in climate policy, argues Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Azerbaijan’s gas exports to Europe gained importance.

And while there is an unavoidable conflict in a petrostate hosting a climate summit, it may also be fitting: The country that was home to the oil industry’s beginnings may also host negotiations that could one day bring the petroleum era to an end. “It is possible to frame it as something of a closure,” Koch says.

Read more in the New York Times article, “Tackling Climate Change in the Birthplace of Oil.”