Al Jazeera English, on Climate, 9 November 2026

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Turkiye pushes electrification top of climate agenda as COP31 set to open

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The United Nations climate conference COP31 is set to open on Monday in Antalya, Turkiye, against the backdrop of the US-led war on Iran, which has underscored the world’s attachment to fossil fuels. Turkiye has said it would centre electrification on the COP31 agenda, launching the non-binding 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge, which aims to make electricity account for at least 35 percent of global energy demand by 2035. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Sudan war and climate change see parents struggle to feed their children list 2 of 3 Nepal’s fight to rebuild after flood disaster list 3 of 3 As AI data centres guzzle energy, can we harness their wasted heat? end of list Electricity currently accounts for about one-fifth of global total final energy consumption, according to the International Energy Agency.

Turkiye says the “35 by 35” will speed up the shift to renewable sources of energy while strengthening energy security. “This year’s energy crisis has shocked us… everyone now understands that energy that you import is energy that you do not control,” the COP31 president and Turkiye’s environment minister, Murat Kurum, said on Thursday. “Electrification is the answer. It protects communities from volatile global markets and cuts emissions.”

COP31’s aim is “to usher in the age of electricity”, he said. The climate conference’s priority areas also include zero waste, methane reduction, climate-resilient cities, green industrialisation, education and implementation of national climate plans. However, climate advocates have criticised the pledge, arguing it does not require that additional electricity come from low-carbon sources. This has set up a debate on whether electrification alone should count as climate progress.

A coalition of countries, including South Pacific island nations most vulnerable to sea level rise, is pushing more generally for a clearer global roadmap away from fossil fuels. Many oil and gas producing countries, including Saudi Arabia, argue that fossil fuels can form a substantial part of the global energy mix, provided they are paired with technologies that reduce or capture emissions. Advertisement US-Israel war on Iran The US-Israel war on Iran has severely disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, raising fuel prices around the globe and leading governments to scramble for alternative sources.

US President Donald Trump has encouraged policies maximising oil, gas, and coal production to address the Middle East disruptions. South Korea, India, Thailand and other Asian nations have increased their reliance on coal or taken steps to boost coal-fired power generation. At the same time, the deployment of renewable energy has also risen, driven by surging exports of cheap clean technology from China.

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About this analysis

Al Jazeera reports that Turkiye, as COP31 host, will put electrification at the centre of the summit through a non-binding 35-by-35 pledge, set against the US-Israel war on Iran and a renewed turn to coal in some countries. It attributes the host's claims to the COP31 president, reports climate advocates' criticism that the pledge does not require low-carbon electricity, and attributes the oil producers' position to them. Nothing in it misleads the reader.

What it gets right

  • “climate advocates have criticised the pledge, arguing it does not require that additional electricity come from low-carbon sources”

    The article does not let the host's claim that the pledge cuts emissions stand alone. It reports the specific weakness critics identify, so the reader learns that more electricity is not automatically cleaner energy.

  • “Many oil and gas producing countries, including Saudi Arabia, argue that fossil fuels can form a substantial part of the global energy mix”

    The producers' position is attributed to the countries that hold it and framed as an argument, not stated as fact in the outlet's voice.

  • “The US-Israel war on Iran has severely disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz”

    The article names who is waging the war behind the energy shock instead of writing it as an unattributed crisis, in line with its own earlier reporting.

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