An energy economics symposium opened in Antalya on Nov. 11 alongside COP31, putting questions about energy supply and markets on the agenda as governments meet for U.N. climate negotiations.
More than 100 participants from 36 countries are attending, Anadolu Agency reported. The news agency said participants include academics and representatives of public and private sectors. The International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) scheduled its COP 2026 symposium alongside the fifth Eurasian Energy & Sustainability Conference, which runs from Nov. 11-14. IAEE event information says selected symposium papers are planned for a special section of the Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy Journal.
Gurkan Selcuk Kumbaroglu, president of the Turkish Association for Energy Economics (TRAEE), told Anadolu Agency that sessions will cover energy and climate issues, geopolitical developments, market conditions and supply questions. He said TRAEE plans three side events in COP31’s Blue Zone: two at the Türkiye Pavilion and one at the U.N. Pavilion. Anadolu Agency reported that Kumbaroglu said TRAEE became the first organization in Türkiye to receive U.N. accreditation in the COP Research Institutions category, in 2007.
The gathering coincides with Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency inviting governments to join its 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge. It calls for electricity to reach 35% of total final energy consumption by 2035. The Presidency’s goal was also the subject of earlier EconoTimes coverage of the COP31 leaders’ summit.
The pledge cites analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) that electricity’s share needs to reach about 35% by 2035 on pathways consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C. It says current trajectories fall short. The document lists energy security, access, emissions reduction and economic development as intended benefits, and backs just transitions and protections for workers in affected sectors. It also calls for participants to agree on a way to review collective progress using existing analysis and reporting, including IEA and IRENA reports; it gives no date for that review.
The final conference program schedules a COP31 venue visit for Nov. 13, identifying it as a Green Zone visit. Access to the Blue Zone depends on TRAEE accreditation.
