The overall poor performance score of Azerbaijan on the index highlights major challenges in the country's environmental governance, including how the lack of measures exposes Azerbaijanis to serious health risks. Among these risks is gas flaring pollution.

“Fossil gas is produced during oil extraction. This gas could be used for energy, but for various reasons, including expediency, it is sometimes simply burned or flared. Flaring gas converts much of the methane in that waste gas to carbon dioxide,” wrote Global Witness in its November 2024 analysis. The analysis also noted how this process affects “one in every 12 Azerbaijanis” by exposing them “to powerful pollutants from flaring,” leading to “serious medical problems, including asthma, preterm birth and cancer.”

A separate World Health Organization (WHO) report published in 2023 indicated that Azerbaijan had “one of the highest rates of air pollution-related deaths in the world.” Much of the air pollution is attributed to the industrial, agricultural and transportation sectors but the oil industry has considerably more impact on the environmental pollution and, as a result, the health of the country's 10 million inhabitants. The government has also been slow in submitting any emission inventories to the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). According to the UNECE, since 2019, no indicators have been submitted by the government.

The country's poor performance also applies to national policies and measures to mitigate risks. Authorities’ response to environmental protests in the western Azerbaijan village of Söyüdlü in 2023 attests to the government's prioritising of business interests over the population's health. When village residents protested the pollution caused by a gold mining company, they were fiercely suppressed. Although initially mining was suspended, and promises to investigate the impact on residents’ health were made, a year later, it was back to business as usual. ‘This marks the end of a year-long disruption, and we look forward to normalising production,” said the CEO Reza Vaziri of Anglo Asian Mining, the company in charge of the gold mine.

According to Earthworks, an organization that helps local communities protect their land, water, and health, gold mining is “one of the most destructive industries in the world,” and it can “pollute water and land with mercury and cyanide, endangering the health of people and ecosystems.”

Azerbaijan's water scarcity problem has been cause for concern for many years now. However, despite state promises to address the problem, shortages remain because of a lack of proper water infrastructure, including wastewater treatment and management facilities, a lack of public awareness around water usage, and added resource strain from the climate crisis. There is also a lack of oversight of water management and distribution as a result of graft. The water shortage witnessed during the summer of 2024 highlighted that earlier government promises to find a solution have rung hollow.

Once again, it was the local population, particularly village residents and farmers, who paid a heavy price.

In August 2024, Meydan TV reported water shortages in Azerbaijan's northern region of Zaqatala, likely caused as a result of outdated infrastructure.

Residents complained to the news platform that, despite their complaints, the access issues were not resolved. One resident said the region's two largest villages have suffered from drought for years. “[The officials] tell us the water lines must be renewed. But we are not told who must be renewing these lines nor why the process is delayed,” complained the resident. According to a recent World Bank report, “most small towns and rural areas lack access to professionally operated services.”

In 2023, residents of Saatli felt they were left with no choice but to protest over their water shortage problems after numerous attempts to reach officials and relevant state institutions failed. In response, the government did not address their complaints but instead fired rubber bullets at the villagers to suppress their voices.

Residents of the capital, Baku, have also complained of water shortages last summer. In August, several districts in the capital remained without water for weeks. The shortage, as per official statements, was due to repair work on one of the main water pipes that bring water to the capital. Residents were not warned of the repair work, the water shutoff, or even told how long it would last.

Deforestation and protests by local farmers

Residents of Shaki and Qax reported that 147 hectares (363 acres) of pastureland had been taken over by private companies, while forests were being cut down for non-agricultural use. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources confirmed that 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of forest land had been leased to Monte Ferro, while other areas had been acquired by private companies.

Activists argue that legal changes in 2017, which extended the term of forest leases from 10 to 49 years, have accelerated deforestation. According to Global Forest Watch, Azerbaijan lost 8,160 hectares (20,163 acres) of forest cover between 2001 and 2023, representing a 0.64 percent decrease in total forested area. The Lankaran region has faced the most deforestation, followed by the Ganja-Gazakh and Shaki-Zagatala regions. Despite existing laws that protect forests, illegal logging persists because of widespread corruption, with authorities allegedly accepting bribes to overlook violations.

While Azerbaijan sought to present itself as a global leader in climate action by hosting COP29, its environmental policies, pollution levels, and governance issues tell a different story. The country continues to rely heavily on fossil fuels, struggles with deforestation, and faces public protests over land use and conservation issues. Meanwhile, pollution-related health problems, including respiratory illnesses and high mortality rates from heart disease, remain major concerns.