Turkey has emphasized its electrification plans ahead of the COP31 summit and is working to showcase its advancements in renewables and the zero waste initiative to reduce methane emissions and enhance energy security.
Electrification Goals and Energy Security
During the summit in Antalya, Murat Kurum, the COP31 President and Turkey's Minister of Environment, is promoting Ankara's key initiative aimed at ensuring that electricity accounts for 35 percent of global energy demand by 2035. This non-binding goal, titled "35 by 35," is part of a 10-point agenda that Turkey claims can accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
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Murat Kurum stated: "The energy crisis has surprised us this year... Everyone now understands that imported energy means a lack of control over it. Electrification is the answer. This action protects communities from the fluctuations of global markets and reduces pollutant emissions." The goal of COP31 is to "enter the age of electricity."
Challenges and Criticisms
Turkey has made significant progress in renewable energy infrastructure in recent years, and Alparslan Bayraktar, the Minister of Energy, introduced an ambitious roadmap worth $500 billion for electrifying the economy and increasing wind and solar power capacity to 175 gigawatts on Thursday.
However, environmental activists warn that with one-third of Turkey's electricity coming from coal and no plan to phase it out, this summit will be a major test for Turkey's climate leadership. Emel Turker Alpay, an energy activist at Greenpeace Turkey, stated: "What electrification should achieve is the end of dependence on fossil fuels. This should be the ultimate goal."
Turkey is also promoting the zero waste initiative as an environmental diplomacy campaign aimed at international cooperation to reduce methane emissions from waste. Meanwhile, Turkey has yet to join the global methane pact and continues to import plastic waste, particularly from Europe.
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