COP31: Turkey seeks to enshrine a 35% global economy electrification target
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on SABC News
Illustrative image · Kristina Kutleša · Pexels · Licence PexelsTurkey, host of COP31 in Antalya, wants adoption of a target to electrify 35% of the global economy by 2035, compared with about a fifth today. Critics note the target does not require low-carbon electricity, according to SABCnews.com.
Turkey, host of COP31, is calling on governments to adopt a target to electrify 35% of the global economy by 2035, compared with about a fifth today. According to a person close to the matter cited by Reuters, Ankara is now seeking to have this target included in the final text of negotiations at the UN climate conference, which is taking place in Antalya.
Climate advocates criticise the proposal because it does not require the additional electricity to come from low-carbon sources. Alexis Normand, chief executive of Greenly, a French carbon accounting company based in Paris, believes that “if the grid is not clean, electrification does not remove emissions: it moves them from the exhaust pipe to the power plant chimney”.
The debate highlights the role of coal in the two countries leading COP31. According to official data, coal produced about a third of Turkey’s electricity last year, and more than 40% of Australia’s, which is leading the negotiations. Portuguese Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho announced on Monday that her country would back a target for “clean electrification”, meaning powered by renewable energy. For context, read COP31 in Antalya: Iran war disrupts global energy.
