Turkey Wants COP31 to Focus on Electrification Instead of Fossil Fuel Cuts

Turkey wants nearly 200 countries attending COP31 to commit to increasing electricity's share of global energy consumption to 35% by 2035, up from roughly 20% today. The proposed pledge, however, contains no requirement to actually reduce fossil fuel consumption. That distinction is attracting attention as climate negotiators gather in Antalya to discuss how quickly the world should move away from oil, gas and coal.

Turkey's proposal would measure progress by the percentage of final energy demand supplied by electricity. It does not specify how that electricity must be generated, meaning coal- and gas-fired power would count toward the target. Nor would reaching 35% necessarily mean the world was consuming less fossil fuel in absolute terms.