COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum has launched a new global electrification target — calling for the share of final energy demand met by electricity to rise from just over 20 per cent today to 35 per cent by 2035.
Speaking at the Bonn Climate Change Conference this week, Kurum launched the flagship initiative as part of the Action Agenda.
He called for a major acceleration in the shift from direct fossil fuel use to clean electricity across buildings, transport and industry.
Kurum, who is Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, said the target is based on analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
It is designed to support implementation of the Paris Agreement and help keep the world on a pathway consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Kurum also announced other targets, including a goal of halving the growth in global waste by 2035.
Food waste in particular accounts for 10 per cent of global emissions, primarily through methane, which is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
The COP31 Presidency also introduced a new global target under its Resilient Cities priority, to reduce energy consumption intensity in the building sector by at least 25 per cent by 2035.
Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel said the electrification push is a no brainer, especially in Australia.
“Australians have invested in solar and batteries in droves. We now need to focus on getting more Aussies into EVs and making homes and businesses all electric so we can power more of the Aussie economy with local renewable energy,” Menzel said.
Greenpeace also welcomed the “35% by 2035 target” but said it must be coupled with a rapid phase out of fossil fuels.
Speaking from Bonn, Dr Simon Bradshaw, COP31 Lead at Greenpeace Australia Pacific said nowhere are the benefits of renewable electrification clearer than in the Pacific.
“For some countries, fuel import costs are equivalent to 25% of GDP,” he said.
“Ending the fossil fuel chokehold is the only path towards greater peace and security and the only way to keep 1.5°C within reach. This means no new fossil fuel approvals and a managed phase out of fossil fuel production.”