Türkiye Unveils COP31 Global Electrification Target: 35% by 2035

Türkiye unveiled a global electrification target to increase the share of global final energy demand met by electricity from just over 20 percent today to 35 percent by 2035, positioning it as a flagship priority for COP31.

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COP31 President-designate Murat Kurum said, "By electrifying daily life, from transport to buildings and industry, we can protect families and businesses from volatile energy markets," as the Bonn Climate Change Conference served as the setting for the announcement.

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The COP31 Presidency said the electrification goal is part of an action agenda that runs alongside formal negotiations, and that it would not require formal approval by the nearly 200 countries involved.

The proposal was framed as a way to accelerate the shift from fossil fuels to cleaner power sources, with the COP31 hosts linking the push to energy price shocks and energy security concerns.

In parallel, the COP31 Presidency also set targets to halve the growth of global waste by 2035 and cut energy consumption intensity in the building sector by at least 25 percent by 2035.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged countries to accelerate implementation of existing climate commitments, warning that continued dependence on fossil fuels threatens economic stability and increases climate risks for vulnerable populations.

Stiell also told ministers and high-level officials meeting for the preparatory talks that dealing with the climate crisis was "the hardest, but most important, thing humanity has ever tried to do together."

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In Bonn, COP31 co-host Australia backed the electrification push, with COP31 negotiations chief Chris Bowen saying, "Accelerating the energy transition will ease shocks to our energy systems, better protect our economies and households from high costs, and help keep bending the curve of emissions downwards,".

A veteran COP observer and E3G analyst Alden Meyer cautioned that electrification must be paired with cutting fossil fuels, telling AFP in Bonn, "You do need to both expand electrification and squeeze fossil fuels out of the electricity system at the same time."

The COP31 hosts said the electrification target is voluntary and non-binding, designed to coordinate action beyond the negotiation rooms rather than require consensus from the nearly 200 governments.

The electrification target is scheduled to be carried into COP31 in Türkiye, with the COP31 Climate Conference set to hold in Antalya in November as Bonn meetings prepare the negotiations.

“As negotiators gather at the Bonn Climate Conference (SB64) between June 8 and 18, 2026, to lay the groundwork for COP31, diplomats, climate experts and policymakers in India warn that geopolitical tensions, energy security concerns and persistent gaps in climate finance are threatening to push climate action down the global agenda”

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The COP31 Presidency said it would build global coalitions to support implementation, and it commissioned the International Energy Agency to map out pathways and assess benefits of the initiatives ahead of COP31.

The Guardian reported that the International Energy Agency will be asked to produce a report setting out how the 35% electrification target can be met by 2035, while Kurum also called for halving the growth rate of global waste by 2035.

The Guardian also quoted Chris Bowen describing electrification as a response to "the worst energy crisis in our history," linking the push to worsening climate-induced natural disasters and the Iran war-driven rise in oil prices.

Within the broader climate agenda, the COP31 hosts framed electrification as a way to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and protect families and businesses from volatile energy markets, while Stiell urged faster action as deadly heat and climate impacts intensify.