COP31 President Murat Kurum urged Turkish businesses on Nov. 12 to secure a larger share of the $2.2 trillion expected to be invested in clean energy worldwide this year.
Speaking at a forum organized by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) in Antalya, the environment, urbanization and climate change minister said Türkiye wanted to attract investment and help its companies develop technologies for export.
Citing International Energy Agency estimates, Kurum said global energy investment was expected to reach $3.4 trillion in 2026.
About $2.2 trillion would go to renewables, power grids, storage, energy efficiency, electrification and other clean energy projects.
He said the COP31 presidency’s Climate Implementation Bridge initiative aimed to turn countries’ priorities into investable projects by connecting them with finance and technology.
Businesses would play a central role through their investment, production capacity and expertise.
Kurum reiterated the action agenda’s goal of raising electricity’s share of global final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035. He also called for circular material use in production and manufacturing to reach at least 15 percent.
“If these targets remain on paper, they will be nothing more than numbers,” he said.
Putting them into practice in factories, supply chains and buildings would bring real change, he added.
The agenda covers 10 priority areas, including clean energy, green industry, waste reduction, resilient cities and food security. Kurum said these would directly affect businesses’ production and investment decisions.
He said the presidency wanted the conference to produce decisions that would be implemented, describing it as an “implementation COP.”
Kurum also said the conference had received 100,000 registrations in two days, with strong interest from negotiators and participants in side events.
