Speaking at the Climate Innovation Forum, COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum called on governments and businesses to accelerate the electrification of the global economy, reduce waste, and deliver on climate finance commitments to reach the targets of the Paris Agreement.
LONDON, 22 June 2026 — COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum today opened London Climate Action Week with a call for governments and businesses to accelerate the electrification of the global economy, reduce waste, and deliver on climate finance commitments to reach the targets of the Paris Agreement.
Speaking at the Climate Innovation Forum at the start of London Climate Action Week (LCAW), Mr. Kurum said that electrification must become a central pillar of the global response to both climate change and the energy-affordability crisis. He noted that it was essential to help households and businesses reduce their exposure to volatile prices.
Speaking at the Climate Innovation Forum, COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum said:
“This issue is being discussed today in government cabinets and in company boardrooms, because accelerating electrification in daily life is an urgent need to protect countries, businesses, and families from fluctuating energy prices.” “Here in London, we want to widen participation to include more businesses, institutions, NGOs, and charities, and by the end of the week, we want to have secured more support for our objectives and targets. This is needed so that everyone comes to COP31 in Antalya prepared and ready to make the global summit a success.”
The COP31 President, who also serves as Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, recently proposed a global “35x35” target, aimed at accelerating the electrification of sectors such as transportation, buildings, and industry. This target demands that 35% of final energy consumption is met by electricity by 2035, up from just over 20% today.
This target sits alongside the COP31 Presidency’s other thematic priorities for the annual UN Climate Summit, COP31, which will be held in the Turkish resort city of Antalya in November. These include reducing waste, improving the circular economy, building resilient cities, delivering climate finance, and raising global climate literacy.
Discussing how electrification is emerging as a global priority, Mr. Kurum said the target is already supported by many countries, international organizations, and coalitions of the willing — including the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, and the Global Renewables Alliance.
Mr. Kurum also emphasized the importance of meeting increased electricity demand from clean sources, recalling that the first Global Stocktake at COP28 in Dubai put forward that increasing electricity demand should come from clean energy supplies — because a secure and sustainable energy future requires electrification and renewables to move forward simultaneously.
He noted the need to create enabling conditions, particularly in the developing world, to accelerate progress and hit the COP31 targets. “In 2024, countries collectively agreed to mobilize at least 300 billion dollars every year by 2035 under the Baku Finance Goal,” he said, adding that for the success of the transformation developing countries must be able to access the finance they need. As the incoming Presidency, COP31 would work decisively to keep this on the agenda and call on all donor countries to provide their contributions.
Throughout the week, the incoming COP31 Presidency will build support for its wider Action Agenda and deepen partnerships across the international climate community. This includes building support for 2035 targets of halving the increase in waste production, reducing energy consumption intensity in the building sector by at least 25 percent, and achieving a recycled materials usage rate of at least 15 percent in the production and manufacturing sector.
