Azerbaijan to Italy: The Hidden Costs of Gas

2024-08-25

BAKU/ RAVENNA/ L’AQUILA – Under the pretext of reducing reliance on Russian gas, Italy and the European Union have planned to double gas imports from Azerbaijan since 2022, even as dictator Ilham Aliyev tightens his authoritarian grip and increases investments in fossil fuels.

Four journalists investigated the environmental and human rights costs of Azerbaijan's oil and gas industries, revealing significant issues such as pollution, workers' rights violations, and over 300 political prisoners in the country. As Baku prepares to host the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), many experts view its green transition efforts as greenwashing. Despite widespread pollution and hazardous working conditions, Europe appears to overlook these violations in favor of economic gains from the Southern Gas Corridor, which supplies gas to Europe via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline. In Italy, where the pipeline lands, the government is pushing new gas projects despite environmental concerns and local communities being excluded from decision-making.

Photo: Cecilia Fasciani - Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery at night, outskirts of Baku, Azerbaijan, June 2024

Team members

Cecilia Fasciani

Cecilia Fasciani (1995) is an Italian freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker.

Margherita Capacci

Margherita Capacci is an Italian journalist based in The Hague.

Sofia Turati

Sofia Turati is an Italy-based freelance journalist.

Fatima Karimova

Fatima Karimova is an Azerbaijani exiled journalist based in Germany.

Mentor

Robert Soutar

Robert Soutar (UK) is a writer and editor.

Supported

€15,000 allocated on 19/02/2024

ENV1/2024/404

Grant

Environmental Journalism

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