Turkey unveils COP31 agenda with 35 percent electrification goal

Turkey's COP31 presidency unveiled an action agenda on September 21 and 22, 2026, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, headlined by a target to raise electricity's share of global final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035. Murat Kurum, Turkey's environment minister and COP31 president-designate, presented the agenda at a UN event, describing implementation rather than new pledges as the summit's focus. The 35x35 Global Electrification Pledge calls for electrifying buildings, transport and industry, backed by clean power, energy storage and modernized grids, while acknowledging that countries will follow different national pathways. Electricity currently meets about 20 percent of the world's total energy demand. An analysis released by the International Energy Agency found the goal is within reach. IEA researchers calculated that electricity could cost-effectively meet 33 percent of global final energy consumption by 2035, up about 10 percentage points from current levels, using energy prices before the war.