The COP31 leaders’ summit is scheduled to open in Antalya Wednesday, with Türkiye’s Presidency asking governments to join a pledge for electricity to make up 35% of global total final energy consumption by 2035.
The Presidency’s 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge invites governments to take part; it is not an adopted COP-wide target. The pledge lists energy security, energy access, emissions reduction and economic development as intended gains. It also calls for a just transition and protection for workers in affected sectors.
In remarks at a Nov. 10 press conference recorded by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), COP31 President Murat Kurum said reliance on imported fuels leaves countries exposed to price volatility and supply interruptions. Kurum described electrification as a way to reduce that vulnerability.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) points to electric vehicles, heat pumps and electric industrial technologies as ways to expand electricity use in transport, buildings and industry.
The UNFCCC schedule lists the leaders’ summit for Nov. 11-12, including a high-level dialogue titled “35 by 35: Powering the Future” on Nov. 11. Other sessions cover “Seizing the Green Industrial Opportunity,” access to finance, and urban resilience and adaptation.
COP31 opened Nov. 9 and is scheduled to run through Nov. 20. EconoTimes previously covered the 35% electrification pledge as the conference began.
