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

Notably, the United Nations climate conference COP31 is due to open on Monday in Antalya, Turkiye, against the backdrop of the US-led war on Iran.

Key points

• Turkiye has remarked it would centre electrification on the COP31 agenda, launching the non-binding 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge.
• 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, remarked on Thursday.
• Turkiye notes the "35 by 35" will speed up the shift to renewable sources of energy while strengthening energy security.
• 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 rose their reliance on coal or taken steps to boost coal-fired power generation.

Turkiye has remarked it would centre electrification on the COP31 agenda, launching the non-binding 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge. It seeks to create electricity account for at least 35 percent of global energy demand by 2035.

Electricity at present accounts for concerning one-fifth of global total final energy consumption, according to the International Energy Agency.

"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, remarked 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 remarked.

In practice, the climate conference's priority areas additionally include zero waste, methane reduction, climate-resilient cities, green industrialisation, education and implementation of national climate aims.

Nevertheless, climate advocates have criticised the pledge, arguing it does not require that further electricity come from low-carbon sources.

This has set up a debate on whether electrification alone should count as climate progress.

For context, 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.

Plenty of 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. US-Israel war on Iran.

In practice, the US-Israel war on Iran has severely disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, raising fuel rates around the globe and leading governments to scramble for alternative sources.

Meanwhile, the deployment of renewable energy has additionally risen, driven by surging exports of cheap clean technology from China.

Taken together, the developments around turkiye pushes electrification top of climate agenda as COP31 set to open point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.