{
  "id": 19351958,
  "title": "What is the electrification target at COP31 and can countries meet it?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/what-is-the-electrification-target-at-cop31-and-can-countries-meet-it",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-10T14:49:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Scientist",
    "slug": "new-scientist",
    "url": "https://www.newscientist.com/article/2598177-what-is-the-electrification-target-at-cop31-and-can-countries-meet-it/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "One of the key topics under discussion at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, is a voluntary global target to increase electricity's share of total final energy consumption to 35% by 2035. This target, based on analysis by the International Energy Agency and the International Renewable Energy Agency, is seen as a crucial step towards limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Currently, electricity makes up only 23.4% of the energy delivered to consumers, a figure that has only increased by 6.7 percentage points since 2000. To meet the 35% target, the rate of electrification would need to quadruple compared to the first quarter of the 21st century and triple compared to the rate between 2020 and 2025.\n\nWhile progress on renewable energy has been encouraging, with renewables accounting for a higher proportion of overall electricity production year after year, the goal of 35% electrification is still a significant leap from the 11 terawatts of renewable capacity pledged by UN member states for 2030. However, experts argue that the 35% target is broadly the right level of ambition and achievable with the right policies, investment, and infrastructure. The electrification target encompasses electricity generation regardless of how it is produced, meaning that a country could make progress even if its power sector heavily relies on coal and gas.\n\nTo achieve the target, governments should look at electrification, renewables, and energy efficiency together as the \"three pillars of the energy transition.\" While the technical feasibility of the target is often emphasized, political will and commitment to ambitious targets are also crucial. The US, for instance, has withdrawn from the global climate framework and will be absent from COP31 negotiations. Some countries, like the UK, have set legally binding net-zero emission targets for 2050, but recent reports suggest a potential weakening of these targets. The global preparedness for the transition to a net-zero emissions economy has also declined, indicating a widening gap between climate ambition and delivery. Achieving the 35% electrification target alone may not be enough to meet the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, but it remains a significant step forward if paired with rapid and large-scale emissions reductions.",
  "summary": "The world will need to quadruple its pace on electrification to meet the target being pushed by the COP31 presidency this week, but increasingly affordable renewable energy could put the goal within reach",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}