Australia, Turkey Launch Ambitious Electrification Goal for COP31

Australia and Turkey are spearheading an ambitious "action agenda" for the upcoming COP31 climate summit, aiming to significantly increase electricity's role in global energy consumption. The core objective is to raise electricity's contribution from the current 20% to 35% by 2035.

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Electrifying the global economy was the fastest way to strengthen energy security, cut emissions and bring down costs.

This ambitious goal hinges on widespread electrification, encouraging building owners to install heat pumps and households to transition to electric vehicles. Such shifts are intended to reduce dependence on oil and gas for energy needs. When combined with renewable sources like solar, wind, and hydro power, electrification is viewed as a cost-effective strategy for cutting greenhouse gas emissions across most sectors.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen, who will preside over the 2026 Conference of the Parties summit, emphasized that electrifying the global economy is the most rapid path to bolstering energy security, slashing emissions, and lowering costs. He stated at the Bonn Climate Change Conference in Germany that accelerating the energy transition will mitigate energy system shocks, better shield economies and households from high costs, and continue to reduce emissions.

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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.

Australia's unique role in the negotiations stems from a diplomatic agreement with Turkey for hosting rights to COP31, which will be held in Antalya, Turkey. Pre-COP meetings will be hosted by Pacific nations Fiji and Tuvalu. The current climate diplomacy landscape is heavily influenced by the conflict in the Middle East, which has caused significant oil price shocks and highlighted energy security concerns. Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, noted that electrifying economies can indeed enhance energy security, accelerated by trends like AI and growing demand for cooling, electric vehicles, and industrial processes.

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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.

Turkey's Climate Change Minister and COP31 president-designate, Murat Kurum, acknowledged that countries will have varying starting points and pathways for electrification. He pledged close collaboration, particularly with developing economies, to facilitate access to technical assistance, capacity-building, and financial support. The action agenda also includes targets for halving the growth in global waste by 2035 and increasing energy-efficient buildings by at least 25% by the same year.

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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.