The Intersection of Literature and Climate at Baku’s UN Summit

In an ironic twist, the 2024 United Nations climate change summit is taking place in Azerbaijan, the birthplace of the modern oil industry. This setting presents a peculiar backdrop, especially following the recent U.S. presidential election that saw Donald Trump, a pro-fossil fuel advocate, regain office on promises to increase fossil fuel production and retract from international climate agreements.A fitting work to encapsulate this irony is Lydia Kiesling's novel "Mobility," a darkly humorous narrative that begins and concludes in Baku. The story follows Bunny Glenn, the novel's antiheroine, as she navigates her life from her childhood as a State Department brat amid the burgeoning post-Soviet oil boom in the 90s to her position as a communications strategist for BP during the Trump administration. Bunny's journey is laced with the stark realities of climate change.In a recent interview, Kiesling was asked about her decision to set the novel in Baku. She recounted her family's time in Armenia during the late 90s, contrasting the poverty of Armenia with Baku’s wealth fueled by abundant oil and natural gas. She observed a surge of foreign entities descending upon Baku, highlighting how resource disparities shape human experiences in these geopolitically significant regions.Kiesling’s narrative mirrors the challenges facing global leaders as they gather in Baku to discuss climate policies during a time when fossil fuels remain at the forefront of political agendas. The juxtaposition of her fictional world with the ongoing realities of climate negotiations underscores the complexities and contradictions of current environmental dialogues. As the summit progresses amid mounting global concerns over climate change, Kiesling's novel provides a critical perspective on the intersection of energy politics and personal stories.