Turkey will urge countries at the COP31 climate summit to make a target for increasing electricity’s share of global energy use a central part of the conference’s final agreement, despite criticism that the proposal may do little to reduce emissions.
Negotiators at the two-week United Nations climate conference in Antalya are seeking support for a pledge to electrify 35% of the global economy by 2035, up from around 20% today.
Turkey is now seeking to include the target in the formal outcome of the talks, according to a person familiar with the matter.
COP31 President Murat Kurum said on Tuesday that the goal was important for cutting emissions, strengthening energy security and supporting economic growth.
“The age of electricity is taking shape – and COP31 will be remembered as the moment we flicked the switch,” he said.
Critics question whether the target will cut emissions
The proposed target aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by accelerating the shift away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles, heating systems, cooking equipment and other technologies.
However, climate advocates have criticised the pledge because it does not require additional electricity to come from low-carbon sources.
Australian Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who is leading negotiations at COP31, has previously said that including the commitment in the summit’s overarching agreement was not guaranteed. He added that securing support from as many countries as possible for the pledge would still be useful.
Portugal has called for the target to be explicitly linked to clean energy.
“Our proposal is not simply electrification, but clean electrification. That means electricity from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels,” Portuguese Environment Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho said on Monday.
South Pacific island nations, which face particular risks from rising sea levels, and several European countries have also called for a clearer roadmap away from fossil fuels.
Turkey and Australia still rely heavily on coal
The debate has highlighted the energy systems of Turkey and Australia, which are overseeing the summit and negotiations respectively.
Both countries continue to rely heavily on fossil fuels for electricity generation. Coal accounted for around one-third of Turkey’s electricity production last year and more than 40% of Australia’s, according to government data.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan welcomed rising domestic oil production following a cabinet meeting on Monday.
He said production from the Gabar oil fields in southeastern Turkey would exceed 100,000 barrels per day in the second half of 2027.
Global fossil fuel emissions expected to fall
A separate analysis published on Tuesday by an international group of scientists found that global carbon emissions from fossil fuels were expected to decline this year, partly due to high energy prices and increased use of renewable power.
However, Corinne Le Quere, a Royal Society Research Professor at the University of East Anglia who led the analysis, cautioned that the decline was partly driven by high petrol and oil prices reducing consumption.
She said this was not a sustainable way to reduce emissions.
COP31 opened on Monday, with conference leaders urging nearly 200 participating countries to accelerate efforts to limit global warming amid rising temperatures and increasingly severe climate-related disasters.
A United Nations Environment Programme report published in October warned that the world was already on course to exceed the 1.5°C warming threshold set by the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The report called for steep emissions cuts to bring temperatures back down and limit the worst consequences of climate change.
Also read: COP31 opens in Antalya amid growing pressure for climate action
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