These are some of the things the president of the UN climate negotiations known as COP31 requested global leaders, delegates and climate activists to commit to as part of the global electrification plan announced during the world’s biggest annual climate meeting.
But environmental and human rights groups warn that without strong safeguards, the mining boom for the minerals and metals needed to build the power lines, batteries, wind turbines, and other energy infrastructure that could make the pledge a reality could have serious environmental and human rights impacts worldwide.
Mining has affected communities and habitats around the world: Forests have been cleared, water sources have been polluted, and Indigenous peoples have been denied access to land. Rights groups have encouraged COP31 authorities to address how to source the resources needed for the transition properly.
The country said that electrification will be one of the primary focuses of Turkiye in the copresidency of COP31 with Australia. The “35-by-35” global electrification promise aims to raise the share of electricity to 35 per cent by 2035, from 21 per cent, ideally from clean sources such as solar and wind, to cut carbon emissions driving global warming.
The vow comes after pledges made at past UN climate summits: At COP28, governments resolved to strive toward tripling renewable energy capacity and moving away from fossil fuels. The COP29 focused on climate finance, grid modernisation and energy storage. The COP31 presidency emphasised that electrification was the next natural step, turning past pledges into changes in how energy is consumed.
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