ANTALYA, Türkiye — For energy systems worldwide, Türkiye’s COP31 presidency is combining a proposed electricity-use benchmark for 2035 with a building-efficiency goal, putting power supply and urban demand on the same climate agenda.
The presidency’s “35-by-35” pledge would make electricity 35% of energy used worldwide by end users in 2035. A United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) leaders’ summit note put the current proportion at roughly 23% and said about 730 million people still lack electricity access. The pledge identifies grids, storage, investment and national planning as parts of implementation, while giving each country authority over its own policies and recognizing that national pathways will vary.
Separately, the Antalya Compact for Energy Efficient Buildings aims to lower the global building stock’s operational energy intensity by a quarter from its 2020 level by 2035. Its six priorities include building performance, renovation, electrified heating and cooling, flexible power use in buildings, finance and implementation capacity. The target concerns energy intensity rather than a specific reduction in total energy consumed. These efforts are part of the presidency’s three 2035 climate benchmarks for its action agenda.
The electricity goal has not been confirmed as part of a COP-wide decision. On Tuesday, Nov. 10, COP31 President of Negotiations Chris Bowen said the presidency was consulting parties on how electrification should appear in the conference’s final decision. ABC News reported Saturday, Nov. 14, that negotiators had not agreed on the pledge’s final form.
Nawal Al-Hosany, the UAE’s permanent representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), argued in an opinion article published by The National on Friday, Nov. 13, that urban design and energy decisions should be planned together. She said sustainability choices made during planning can help avoid later costs from correcting poorly designed infrastructure. “The cleanest unit of energy is often the one we never need to consume,” she wrote.
The 2023 outcome of the Paris Agreement’s first global stocktake called for global renewable capacity to triple and the average yearly improvement in energy efficiency worldwide to double by 2030. COP31 is scheduled to continue in Antalya through Friday, Nov. 20.
