COP31 Presidency Launches “35% by 2035” Electrification Target as Flagship Action Agenda Initiative

Announced at the Bonn Climate Conference, the target aims to nearly double electricity’s share of global final energy demand, backed by new IEA pathway reports and complementary waste and building efficiency goals

COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum launched a new global electrification target on June 9, 2026, as the flagship initiative of the COP31 Presidency’s Action Agenda, calling for a major acceleration in the shift from direct fossil fuel use to clean electricity across buildings, transport, and industry.

Building on Previous COP Commitments

The announcement, made at the Bonn Climate Change Conference — an annual gathering of negotiators from Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change held ahead of the main COP summit — builds directly on a series of complementary pledges agreed at previous climate conferences. At COP28, countries agreed to work toward tripling global renewable energy capacity and transitioning away from fossil fuels. At COP29, governments and stakeholders supported expanding energy storage and modernizing electricity grids, while also setting a target to mobilize at least $300 billion annually by 2035 to support climate action in developing countries.

The COP31 Presidency has framed its new electrification target as the next logical step within this broader global energy transition architecture, designed to help translate these prior commitments into tangible changes in how energy is actually consumed across the global economy. Speaking at the conference’s opening plenary on June 8, Kurum had already signaled this direction, noting the risks associated with continued dependence on imported fossil fuels and the urgency of accelerating the clean energy transition.

The “35 by 35” Target

Speaking to delegates at the Bonn conference on June 9, Kurum — who serves as Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change — proposed a collective global goal to increase the share of final energy demand met by electricity from just over 20% today to 35% by 2035. The COP31 Presidency committed to building a global coalition to implement actions supporting this target.

The target is grounded in analysis from both the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and is designed to support implementation of the Paris Agreement while helping keep global emissions on a pathway consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Complementary Targets: Waste and Building Efficiency

Alongside the electrification target, Kurum announced two additional goals as part of the Presidency’s broader Action Agenda. The first is a commitment to halving the growth in global waste by 2035, forming part of COP31’s thematic focus on achieving zero waste. Food waste specifically accounts for 10% of global emissions, driven primarily through methane — a greenhouse gas roughly 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

The second is a new target under the Presidency’s Resilient Cities priority, aiming to reduce energy consumption intensity in the building sector by at least 25% by 2035. This target is intended to help protect families and businesses from rising energy costs as part of the broader transition.

Additional Initiatives Under Development

Kurum also shared details on further initiatives and targets currently being developed by the Presidency, spanning food security, circular materials use in manufacturing, and climate education. He provided additional detail on the previously announced Climate Implementation Bridge, an initiative intended to help countries strengthen the connection between national climate, economic, and development priorities, with the goal of enabling climate finance to reach implementation on the ground more rapidly and with greater impact.

IEA Commissioned to Map Implementation Pathways

To support the electrification target, the COP31 Presidency, working in partnership with Australia, has commissioned the IEA to deliver special reports mapping out pathways for achieving the “35×35” target, as well as analyzing the benefits of halving waste growth and expanding circular waste management systems. This builds on the Presidency’s existing collaboration with IRENA, which has focused on identifying how electrification can accelerate the broader transition away from fossil fuels.

What the Action Agenda Focuses On

According to conference notes, the Presidency’s Action Agenda, outlined on June 9, centers on the real-world decisions that will shape the energy transition in practice — including families choosing electric vehicles and appliances, businesses investing in electric industrial processes, cities electrifying public transport systems, and building owners installing solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps.

Organizers emphasized that electrification efforts must be accompanied by broader parallel action, including transitioning away from fossil fuels within energy systems, expanding renewable energy generation, strengthening electricity grids and storage capacity, and increasing energy access and financial support for developing countries.

A Flexible, Multi-Stakeholder Approach

The COP31 Presidency acknowledged that different countries and sectors will likely follow different pathways toward these targets based on their individual circumstances. As a result, the COP31 Action Agenda is designed to bring together governments, businesses, financial institutions, cities, and civil society organizations to accelerate implementation of practical climate solutions alongside the formal COP negotiations process.

This approach is intended to establish a legacy that can be carried forward into COP32, scheduled to be held in Ethiopia, and beyond, as countries and stakeholders work toward meeting these targets by their 2035 deadline.

Looking Ahead

The Bonn Climate Change Conference continues through June 18, 2026, ahead of the main COP31 summit scheduled for November in Antalya, Türkiye. The targets and initiatives announced in Bonn are expected to form a central part of the discussions and negotiations planned for the Antalya summit later this year.