COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum has launched a new global electrification target as a flagship initiative of the COP31 Presidency’s Action Agenda.
The announcement calls for a major acceleration in the shift from direct fossil fuel use to clean electricity across buildings, transport and industry.
This comes as part of a wider package of non-negotiated Action Agenda initiatives and targets announced by the COP31 President-Designate today.
Speaking to delegates at the Bonn Climate Change Conference, Mr. Kurum, who is Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, proposed a collective global goal to increase the share of final energy demand met by electricity from just over 20% today to 35% by 2035.
Mr. Kurum also committed to building a global coalition to implement actions towards achieving this target.
The New Target
The target is based on analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and 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.
Other Targets
During a presentation on the Presidency’s Action Agenda, Mr. Kurum also announced other targets, including a goal of halving the growth in global waste by 2035.
This ambition is part of COP31’s thematic focus on achieving zero waste. Food waste in particular accounts for 10% of global emissions, primarily through methane, which is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
The COP31 President- Designate also introduced a new global target under its Resilient Cities priority, to reduce energy consumption intensity in the building sector by at least 25% by 2035. This is an important step in protecting families and businesses from rising energy costs.
In addition, Mr. Kurum also shared details on new initiatives and targets being developed by the Presidency. These include critical topics such as food security, circular materials in manufacturing and climate education.
He also shared further details on the Climate Implementation Bridge, which will support countries by improving the link between national climate, economic and development priorities, helping finance reach the ground more rapidly and with greater impact.
In support of the electrification target, the COP31 Presidency, in partnership with Australia, has commissioned the IEA to deliver special reports to map out pathways to achieving the “35×35” target and to analyse the benefits of halving waste growth and boosting circular waste management systems.
This follows the COP31 Presidency’s existing work with IRENA to identify how electrification can accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.
Launching the initiatives, COP31 President-Designate, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye, Murat Kurum said, “The Action Agenda is the driving force behind implementation. As the COP31 Presidency, we have been listening to everyone. This has helped us build an ambitious and holistic Action Agenda.”
According to him, “By electrifying daily life, from transport to buildings and industry, we can protect families and businesses from volatile energy markets. This “35% by 2035” target will be one of the defining priorities of our COP31 Presidency. On the road to COP31 in Antalya, we will work to bring together a strong global coalition that is ready and determined to act in support of this objective.” “
“We recognise that this is a global goal, that countries have different starting points, and that countries will pursue different pathways. We will also work closely with all countries, especially with developing economies, to help facilitate access to technical assistance, capacity-building, and financial support in line with this goal
Other Presentations
For Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy; who doubles as President of Negotiations for COP31, Hon Chris Bowen, “Accelerating the energy transition will ease shocks to our energy systems, better protect our economies and households from high costs, and help keep bending the curve of emissions downwards. That’s why electrifying the global economy is one of our practical priorities for COP31 — because it’s the fastest way to strengthen energy security, cut emissions and bring down costs.”
‘Now’s the time to step up the pace and scale of electrification, as the current fossil fuel cost crisis shows so painfully. So too, more resilient and energy-efficient cities and cutting waste are key to tackling the climate crisis which is already hitting every economy and global supply chains, and driving up inflation.” Stiell said.According to the Executive Secretary, the Brazilian COP30 Presidency introduced the alignment of the Action Agenda with the first Global Stocktake outcomes, setting six thematic axes — and the incoming Turkish presidency, working with Australia, is to be commended for building on that progress.
The Executive Director of the IEA, Fatih Birol on her part stated that the current global energy crisis is accelerating the world’s shift into the Age of Electricity, adding to major trends such as the rise of AI and growing power demand from air conditioning, EVs, industry and more.
He said that as energy demand continues to rise rapidly across transport, industry, buildings and digitalisation, the energy transition must now focus on electrifying these end-use sectors.
La Camera said that “electrification is one of the most immediate, scalable and cost-effective solutions available today. Every economy that accelerates electrification with renewables can reduce its exposure to imported fuel price volatility while strengthening its economic competitiveness.
She stated that international co-operation will be critical to accelerating global electrification, and IRENA stands ready to leverage its global membership in support of a successful COP31 Presidency Action Agenda.
The CEO of the Global Renewables Alliance, Bruce Douglas, said IEA strongly welcomes the COP31 Presidency’s focus on electrification, and it is one of the most powerful levers to reduce exposure to volatile and expensive fossil fuels and deliver on all the Global Stocktake goals.
According to her, “Electrification turns renewable power into real economic value, lowering costs, improving energy security, expanding energy access and boosting competitiveness.”
According to the challenge now is scale. A clear global focus on electrification helps align policy, finance and industry around a common implementation agenda and gives businesses and investors greater confidence to scale investment and action across the real economy.”
Background
The Bonn Climate Change Conference is taking place from 8–18 June 2026 and is an annual meeting of negotiators from Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, ahead of the annual COP summit, which will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, this November.
The COP31 President-Designate addressed the opening plenary of the Bonn Climate Change Conference on 8 June, where he noted “how risky it is to remain dependent on imported fossil fuels, and how urgent it is to speed up the clean energy transition.”
On 9 June, the Presidency outlined its Action Agenda, which focuses on the real-world decisions that will shape the transition: families choosing electric vehicles and appliances, businesses investing in electric industrial processes, cities electrifying public transport systems, and building owners installing solar panels, batteries and heat pumps.
Electrification must be accompanied by wider efforts to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, expand renewable energy generation, strengthen electricity grids and storage, and increase energy access and financial support for developing countries.
The new target builds on a series of complementary pledges agreed at previous climate conferences. At COP28, countries agreed to work towards tripling renewable energy capacity and transition away from fossil fuels. At COP29, governments and stakeholders supported efforts to expand energy storage and modernise electricity grids, and then set a target to mobilize at least $300 billion a year by 2035 to enable action in the developing world.
Kurum Presidency underscored that an electrification target provides the next logical step in this global architecture for the energy transition by helping translate those commitments into changes in how energy is consumed across the economy.
He also recognised that different countries and sectors will follow different pathways according to their circumstances.
The COP31 Action Agenda will therefore bring together governments, businesses, financial institutions, cities and civil society to accelerate implementation of practical climate solutions alongside the formal negotiations process. This aims to leave a legacy that can be continued at COP32 in Ethiopia and beyond to meet these targets by 2035
