By Abbas Nazil
The president-designate of the upcoming UN COP31 climate summit, Murat Kurum, has called for an urgent acceleration of global electrification as part of efforts to combat climate change.
He made the call on Wednesday, at the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial meeting in Denmark, where international climate leaders gathered to discuss priorities ahead of COP31.
Kurum described electrification as a critical element of the global energy transition, stressing the need for countries to increase the share of electricity in total final energy consumption.
The statement explained that global electricity use currently accounts for about 20 percent of final energy consumption, but is projected to rise above 27 percent by 2030 under the International Energy Agency’s net-zero scenario.
He said that achieving global climate goals would require not only expanding electrification but also ensuring the rapid decarbonisation of power generation systems.
According to him, significant progress has already been made through the phase-out of coal-fired power plants and increased deployment of renewable energy, but more action is still required to meet international targets.
The COP31 president-designate noted that electrification of key sectors such as transport, heating and industry remains one of the most practical pathways for reducing global emissions.
The statement further indicated that Turkey, which will host the COP summit in Antalya from November 9 to 20, has placed electrification, renewable energy expansion, energy efficiency, methane reduction, clean cooking and climate finance at the centre of its COP31 agenda.
However, fossil fuel phase-out was not included among the key priorities outlined in the country’s action plan, despite its continued dominance in global emissions.
The meeting in Copenhagen also brought together climate negotiators and stakeholders ahead of further discussions scheduled in Bonn under the UN climate process.
The statement noted that participants used the ministerial platform to exchange views on strategies for strengthening global climate ambition and coordination ahead of COP31.
Climate policy observers described the meeting as an important step in shaping consensus on energy transition pathways and climate finance priorities.
Environmental advocates welcomed the push for faster electrification but urged governments to pair it with stronger measures aimed at reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
They argued that without a clear phase-out strategy for fossil fuels, electrification alone may not be sufficient to achieve global net-zero targets.
The statement concluded that discussions in Copenhagen reflected growing global urgency around energy transition, climate resilience and the need for coordinated international action to reduce emissions.
