What happened
COP31 chair Murat Kurum used a leaders’ plenary in Fiji to set out priorities for the UN climate summit that Türkiye will host in Antalya. According to İklim Haber, he said a 35% electrification objective by 2035 should be among COP31’s central issues.
Kurum said the shift away from fossil fuels must be fair, structured and equitable. He presented electrification, energy storage and power-grid transformation as complementary elements of that shift, saying they could improve security of supply, cut costs and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
For companies and policymakers, the immediate task is to track how these priorities are developed for COP31, particularly any detail on electrification, storage and grid investment. Kurum said the Antalya Action Agenda would foreground electrification, zero waste, green industrialisation, and seas and oceans.
Why it matters
The remarks place power-system development and industrial transition prominently in the agenda being outlined for Antalya. They also connect mitigation measures with finance for countries facing severe climate impacts, including small island developing states and least developed countries.
Kurum said international financial institutions should provide those countries with grants and concessional funding. He also urged developed nations to support the Pacific Resilience Fund.
The intervention came while pre-COP meetings were continuing in Fiji and Tuvalu. Kurum said sea-level rise threatens Pacific communities, and described the 1.5°C temperature goal as a question of survival for countries such as Tuvalu.
Targets and national plans
Kurum called on countries that have not submitted their 2035 nationally determined contributions to do so. He said collective action during the Paris Agreement’s second decade needs to accelerate if the 1.5°C goal is to remain within reach.
He also reiterated the importance of tripling renewable-energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030. For the longer term, Kurum said action towards a 2050 net-zero emissions goal would be aligned with national road maps.
What to watch
Further detail on the proposed 2035 electrification objective, and on the role of storage and grid transformation, will indicate how the COP31 agenda may translate broad priorities into specific action. The development of financing proposals for vulnerable states will also be a significant issue ahead of the Antalya summit.
