Australia energy and climate minister Chris Bowen has endorsed an ambitious new global electrification target – 35 per cent by 2035 – that is designed to hasten the exit of fossil fuels and help the world meet its climate targets.
The new target was announced at the UN’s interim climate talks in Bonn, Germany, where Bowen is having his first official outing as head of negotiations of the COP31 event to be held in Türkiye in November this year.
The president of those talks, Türkiye’s minister of environment, urbanisation, and climate change Murat Kurum, says the new target aims to increase the share of final energy demand that is met by electricity from its current levels of just over 20 per cent to 35 per cent by 2035.
The initiative is based on analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and is intended to support implementation of the Paris Agreement and help limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
“By electrifying daily life, from transport to buildings and industry, we can protect families and businesses from volatile energy markets,” said Kurum.
