At COP31, Turkey is pushing for electrification, but the issue of fossil fuels remains a sticking point
Ankara would like to include this target in the final agreement, but will have to contend with countries that oppose phasing out oil, gas and coal. Meanwhile, Erdogan is celebrating the discovery of two crude oil fields
From our correspondent Gianluca Di Donfrancesco
Aggiungi Il Sole 24 Oreai preferiti su Google
ANTALYA (TURKEY) – A push for electrification, but what sort? At the Climate Conference currently taking place in Antalya, Turkey, the host nation aims to place the target of increasing the share of electricity in global energy consumption – raising it to 35 per cent by 2035 from the current 23 per cent – at the centre of the negotiations. The Turkish COP President, Murat Kurum, stated on Tuesday 10th that this target is important for reducing emissions, strengthening security and stimulating economic growth: “The age of electricity is taking shape, and COP31 will be remembered as the moment we flipped the switch,” he said.
At roughly the same time, President Tayyip Erdogan was celebrating the discovery of two new oil fields in the Gabar region. According to government figures, last year coal generated around a third of Turkey’s electricity and over 40 per cent of that produced in Australia, co-chair of this dual-chair COP.
A difficult challenge
Promoting electricity is certainly key to the green transition, provided it is generated from renewable sources, as critics of Turkey’s proposal point out; this condition is not currently included in the proposal.
Ankara, however, would like to include this commitment in the Conference’s framework agreement, which must be approved unanimously and therefore also by those countries opposed to phasing out oil, gas and coal. Refining the wording will be a delicate task, as Australia’s Climate Minister, Chris Bowen, acknowledges, whilst emphasising that persuading as many nations as possible to sign up would still be a good result.
Furthermore, whilst it is true that the costs of producing solar and wind energy and batteries have fallen dramatically, it is also true that cheaper technology ‘is just one piece of the jigsaw’, as the World Research Institute points out.
