Climate Meets Inequality: Queer Voices from Azerbaijan

When the summer heat setlles over Baku, the city’s concrete streets turn into shimmering traps of heat. For most residents, it’s an inconvenience. For others, it’s a crisis. “When the temperature goes above 40 degrees, I can’t stay in my room,” says Nariman*, he/him, a 23‑year-old queer student living in the capital. “My landlord refuses to fix the broken air conditioner, and if I complain too much, I risk being kicked out. It’s easier to suffer silently than to lose my home.”

Nariman’s story is not unique. Across Azerbaijan, LGBTQI+ people already live at the margins, often denied stable housing, employment, or healthcare because of discrimination.Trans people in Azerbaijan face even harsher housing barriers, with landlords refusing to rent to them, brokers demanding sex, and police harassment forcing many into sudden homelessness. Rising rents, lack of legal protection, and constant discrimination push the most vulnarable group within queer communities—  trans women toward unsafe outskirts, unstable work, or nights spent in parks or strangers’ homes. With no state support, many rely on informal queer/trans kinship networks to survive.

However, as climate change intensifies, these existing inequalities are becoming life‑threatening. Extreme heatwaves, floods, and energy insecurity are not only environmental issues; they are multiplying the risks faced by queer communities that have long been invisible in public policy.

Invisible in the Climate Conversation

In recent years, Azerbaijan has faced rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and urban air pollution linked to rapid industrial development. Yet in government reports and national climate strategies, there is no mention of vulnerable or marginalised populations, let alone LGBTQI+ people.

Environmental organisations in the country rarely discuss social inclusion, and queer rights groups are often excluded from environmental spaces. “It’s as if we don’t exist in their world,” says Laman, she/they, a lesbian woman in Ganja who works in a coffee shop. Laman says that the infratructure and sewage system of Ganja city, and especially in villages and small towns, are very poor. When it rains, people often cannot go to work or school, which affects their social life.

During her childhood, every time it rained, Leman’s family had to ask her teacher not to mark her absent, because she could not get to class. As a result, she failed some lessons. This represents a violation of her and other Azerbaijani children’s right to education.

This silence comes at a deadly cost. In October 2024, heavy rainfall caused severe flooding in Baku’s Sabunchu district, submerging tunnels and underground passages. Two people drowned in the floods, and dozens were rescued from submerged areas, according to local media reports.

For many queer Azerbaijanis, the impacts of climate change are tied to daily survival. Those working in informal jobs — bartenders, hairdressers, freelancers — often lack health insurance or social protection, leaving them more exposed to extreme weather and economic shocks. Rising energy prices also hit those living independently, as landlords in unsafe or substandard housing raise rent to cover costs.

COP29 in Baku: A Controversial Stage

The hosting of COP29 in Baku last year was meant to highlight Azerbaijan’s role in global climate diplomacy, but it has been widely criticised. Many observers argue that the event functioned more as “greenwashing” than as a platform for real climate action, given the country’s heavy reliance on oil and gas revenues. 

Critics also note that media freedom and civil society participation were restricted during the summit, limiting dissenting voices and marginalising independent climate activists. Human rights organisations pointed out that Azerbaijan’s poor track record on free expression and LGBTQI+ rights makes hosting a major climate summit problematic.

Connecting the Struggle: Queer Lives and the Caspian Crisis

The climate crisis that queer people in Azerbaijan face on a domestic level does not exist in isolation — it is deeply linked to larger environmental challenges, especially around the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea, the world’s largest inland body of water bordering Azerbaijan, is itself under severe threat from climate change. The sea level has dropped dramatically in recent decades, largely due to rising temperatures and reduced inflow from rivers. 

This decline has real human and ecological consequences. As the shoreline recedes, ecosystems collapse, biodiversity suffers, and coastal communities face economic hardship. In response, a major cleanup and conservation initiative is underway: the World Bank, together with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and under the guidance of UNEP, has launched a multimillion‑dollar project to monitor pollution, restore marine habitats, and improve coastal management.

The “Save the Caspian” efforts show a hopeful path forward. Just as queer communities in Azerbaijan need recognition and protection in climate policy, the Caspian Sea needs regional solidarity, science-based stewardship, and inclusive governance. Supporting this project is not just about preserving a body of water — it’s about safeguarding ecosystems, livelihoods, and the rights of all people, especially those who are most vulnerable.

By linking queer climate vulnerability, COP29’s contested outcomes, and Caspian environmental activism, we push for a more just and equitable future: one where climate policy truly includes everyone.

Author: Alex Shah

This article was written in collaboration with n-ost.

*Names have been changed to protect the respondents

Powered by Froala Editor