COP31 targets 35% global electrification by 2035

Résumé détaillé

The United Nations has urged governments to accelerate the shift from fossil fuels to electricity, warning that dependence on imported fuels is exposing economies to rising costs,…

The United Nations has urged governments to accelerate the shift from fossil fuels to electricity, warning that dependence on imported fuels is exposing economies to rising costs, supply disruptions and inflation, as the COP31 climate summit pushes to raise global electrification to 35 per cent by 2035.

The United Nations Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, said countries must choose between embracing electricity powered by clean energy and continuing to expose households, businesses and national budgets to the volatility of fossil fuel markets.

Speaking at a press conference at the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference in Antalya, Türkiye, on Tuesday, Stiell said the global energy crisis had made the transition to electricity more urgent.

The electrification drive is a major focus of COP31’s Energy and Transport Day, with the Turkish presidency promoting a global pledge to increase electricity’s share of final energy consumption from about 23 per cent currently to 35 per cent by 2035.

Stiell said the transition was becoming more economically attractive, noting that renewable energy had become cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives in most large-scale projects.

“Because clean energy is cheap energy. 90 per cent of large renewable projects are now cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives, according to IRENA,” he said.

He added that renewables had overtaken coal in global electricity generation, while existing technologies could already electrify up to 75 per cent of energy demand.

“Up to 75 per cent of energy demand can already be electrified with existing technologies. We need to roll out those solutions faster, to far more communities in more countries. As we continue expanding access to electricity,” Stiell said.

He, however, warned that the transition remained uneven, with developing countries requiring greater financial and technical support to benefit from cheaper clean energy.

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