Türkiye eyes action-oriented COP31 with electrification at its core

ANTALYA

Turkish Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister and COP31 President Murat Kurum

Türkiye is determined to put electrification at the center of the COP31 agenda, with summit President Murat Kurum seeking to make the climate conference an “implementation COP” where commitments translate into tangible action on the ground.

“From the very first day we took over the COP presidency, we said this would be an ‘implementation COP,’ where we would see the decisions taken here reflected in concrete action,” Kurum, Türkiye’s environment minister, told reporters ahead of the summit.

Türkiye is presiding over COP31 in Antalya, while Australia is overseeing the negotiations under an unusual arrangement reached to resolve a dispute over the conference’s host country.

Kurum said he would appear before the media alongside all previous COP presidents to brief the international community on the progress made so far and outline the goals for the next phase of global climate action.

“We will make a joint appeal to the world,” he said, describing the initiative as unprecedented in the history of the climate summits.

Alongside the formal negotiations, Türkiye is advancing an “action agenda” designed to encourage countries to endorse voluntary, non-binding commitments across a range of areas, from artificial intelligence to waste management.

At the heart of the initiative is an ambitious electrification drive aimed at increasing electricity’s share of global energy consumption from approximately 20 percent today to 35 percent by 2035.

“The energy crisis we have experienced this year has shaken us out of our complacency,” Kurum said.

“Electrification is the answer. It shields communities from the volatility of global energy markets while helping reduce emissions.”

Türkiye and Australia are also seeking to incorporate electrification into the summit’s “cover decision,” a high-level political declaration negotiated by consensus that is intended to capture the conference’s main outcomes.

The European Union, however, has called for the initiative to focus on “clean” electrification, a qualification that could open up debate over whether Türkiye’s proposal should include a role for fossil fuels.

A stronger push to phase out fossil fuels, the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions, appears unlikely, while financially constrained developed nations remain reluctant to pledge additional funding to help developing countries address the consequences of climate change.

The summit is also taking place against the backdrop of an energy crisis and mounting cost-of-living pressures, both exacerbated by the ongoing war in the Middle East.