An investigation has revealed that scores of apparently fake social media accounts are boosting Azerbaijan’s hosting of the Cop29 climate summit.
According to the investigation, the accounts were mostly set up after July, at which time seven of the top 10 most engaged posts using the hashtags #COP29 and #COP29Azerbaijan were critical of Azerbaijan’s role in the conflict with Armenia, using hashtags such as #stopgreenwashgenocide. By September this had changed, with all of the top 10 most engaged posts coming from the official Cop29 Azerbaijan account.
Global Witness, which conducted the analysis, said artificially inflating the reach of government posts was drowning out independent criticism of the country’s record on the climate crisis and repression of human rights.
Azerbaijan’s government will oversee the UN climate summit, which starts on 11 November, and where nations will attempt to deliver the urgent cuts in fossil fuel burning that scientists say are imperative to avoid the most destructive impacts of climate breakdown.
Azerbaijan has significant fossil fuel reserves and intends to increase gas production by 50% in the next decade.
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The last climate summit, Cop28, was also held in a petrostate, the United Arab Emirates. In the runup to that conference, an army of fake social media accounts promoted and defended the UAE. Countries failed to agree to “phase out” fossil fuels at Cop28, as many wanted, instead choosing the weaker ambition of “transitioning away from fossil fuels”.
“Azerbaijan is days away from hosting the most important climate event of the year,” said Ava Lee of Global Witness. “It’s vitally important that there is space for a real discussion about what governments must do to address the climate emergency. Yet a network of seemingly inauthentic accounts are replacing rightful criticism with flowery positivity.”
Lee added: “The ease at which these accounts were able to influence the online conversation is concerning, especially as X has deliberately reduced the capacity of its trust and safety teams. We urgently call on X to allow a healthy and authentic debate to flourish around a key global moment.”
Azerbaijan’s ministry of foreign affairs and the Cop29 press office failed to respond to requests for comment from the Guardian.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
