Turkey pushes COP31 action agenda as climate summit opens in Antalya

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Turkey pushes COP31 action agenda

Highlights

Turkey's COP31 chair Murat Kurum urges a shift from pledges to concrete results, warning credibility is eroded as the latest UN report predicts surpassing the 1.5C threshold within years.
Turkey introduces the '35 by 35' target to increase the share of electricity in global energy demand to 35% by 2035, positioning it as vital for the 2050 net zero goal, though formal backing remains uncertain.
Ongoing Middle East tensions, rising energy costs, and financing challenges heighten debate over the electrification agenda, with EU and developing countries split on fossil fuel use and support mechanisms.

Turkey sets out implementation push for COP31

As reported by Financial Times, Murat Kurum, Turkey’s head of the COP31 summit, says this year’s negotiations need to move beyond “words and promises” and show concrete results after years of slow progress since the Paris climate accord. He argues that annual commitments lose credibility if they do not translate into outcomes, especially as a UN report in September says the world is likely to overshoot the 1.5C target within a few years.

Turkey is hosting the summit in Antalya over the next two weeks under a compromise agreed last year with Australia, which is serving as president of the negotiations. As host and president of the summit, Turkey is overseeing the action agenda, the non-negotiated track aimed at mobilising businesses, cities and other groups around practical delivery, with climate-resilient cities, zero-waste initiatives and electrification among its priorities.

Since June, Kurum has also been rallying support for a “35 by 35” target that would raise the share of global final energy demand met by electricity from about one-fifth today to 35% by 2035. He says that goal is essential if countries are to stay on course for net zero emissions by 2050, although it remains unclear whether it has enough backing to be included in the final negotiated outcome.

Energy security and financing shape summit debate

Kurum says this year’s war in the Middle East has exposed the strategic risks of dependence on imported fossil fuels, with higher energy costs feeding inflation and political backlash across countries. In his view, the disruption underlines the case for energy independence through clean power, and he dismisses concerns that greater electrification would necessarily boost fossil fuel use, arguing that renewable energy is now on average cheaper than fossil fuels for most users.

The proposed electrification target is nevertheless facing scrutiny from multiple sides. The EU and other parties want clean power to sit at the core of any agreement, amid concerns that some countries could seek to meet rising electricity demand with fossil fuels, while some developing economies question whether stretched budgets will allow them to comply without stronger financial and technological support.

Kurum also acknowledges a difficult diplomatic backdrop for the talks. Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the U.S. has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement and the broader UN climate framework, while climate policies are also facing political attacks in other countries.

Even so, he says progress towards net zero cannot rely on governments alone and must involve the private sector as well as major emitters. He adds that emissions linked to the rapid expansion of AI and data centres will be a key focus at the summit, with expectations that those industries power their operations through clean renewable resources.

In our earlier report on the WTO’s warning about lasting trade disruption from the Middle East war and other conflicts, we explained how companies are redesigning supply chains and shipping routes to build resilience against future shocks. The WTO also flagged steep drops in regional exports and imports and noted that a mix of tariffs, fragmentation, and AI-related demand could reshape trade patterns even after hostilities ease.

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