Image Credit : COP 31 Presidency
Dubai, UAE — May 2026 — The president-designate of COP31 has called for a sweeping acceleration of global electrification, warning that decarbonizing power generation alone will not be enough to meet the world’s climate commitments.
Speaking at the Copenhagen Climate Ministers’ Meeting on Wednesday, Murat Kurum — Turkey’s Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and the designated president of this year’s UN climate summit — said electricity currently meets just 20 percent of final energy consumption worldwide, a figure he said must climb rapidly.
“Together, we should aim to raise that number as quickly as possible,” Kurum said. “We want to start a global conversation about electrification.”
The International Energy Agency’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 scenario sets a clear benchmark: that 20 percent share needs to reach more than 27 percent by 2030, and exceed 50 percent by mid-century.
The gap between where the world stands today and where it needs to be underscores the scale of the challenge Kurum is highlighting.
The minister pointed to the electrification of transport, through expanded electric vehicle adoption, and home heating, via electric heat pumps, as among the most significant levers available. He also stressed that the ongoing energy crisis had reinforced the case for renewable power and diversified national energy sources.
“Governments, international agencies, and the private sector are increasingly focusing on electrification as a critical frontier of the transition,” he said.
COP31 is scheduled to take place in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya from November 9 to 20.
