The host of the Climate Summit, Turkey, proposes a 2035 global electric target

The president of this year’s global climate conference said that Turkey would'seek to gather support for a 'global target' for electricity, which is to'meet' 35% of the energy demand of the planet by 2035. This will aim to reduce fossil fuel consumption.

As part of Turkey’s preparations for the COP31 U.N. Climate Conference in November, the aim is to move away from relying on fossil fuels like oil, coal, and gas to technologies such as electric industrial furnaces and electric cars, and heat?pumps.

Electricity currently provides around 20% of global energy consumption. The remainder is mainly derived from fossil fuels plus 10% of biofuels or waste.

Murat Kurum is the Turkish environment minister who will be presiding over the COP31 Summit in Antalya. He said that the goal was to protect businesses and families from volatile energy prices. Turkey also stated it would work to create a coalition of countries to support the commitment.

Kurum added: "We will work closely with all nations, particularly developing economies, in order to facilitate access to financial assistance, technical assistance and capacity-building to achieve this goal."

The target for electricity would be voluntary and not a formal agreement that required the support of nearly 200 countries expected to attend COP31. Turkey will host the COP31 Summit, and Australia will host the U.N. Climate Negotiations that are at the heart of the Conference. This unusual arrangement was decided after both countries bid for the conference.

Since the beginning of the Iran war, the disruption to the 'oil and gas market' has already accelerated the electrification process in certain countries. In South Korea, Japan, and Italy, the demand for electric cars has risen as consumers try to avoid paying higher petrol prices.

Electrification?cuts emissions of greenhouse gases by replacing direct fossil-fuel use with electricity produced from low-carbon resources. The global electricity sector is decarbonising more quickly than any other part of the economy.

But switching to electricity does not guarantee cleaner energy. While some countries, like France and Sweden, produce their electricity using emissions-free energy sources such as nuclear and renewables, others like China or India use a significant amount of CO2-heavy coking coal. (Reporting and editing by Aidan Lewis; Reporting by Kate Abnett)

(source: Reuters)