COP31 President‑Elect Murat Kurum Calls for Faster Electrification and Boosted Climate Finance Ahead of 2026 Summit
Speaking at the opening session of the Copenhagen Climate Ministers’ Conference in Denmark, Murat Kurum – the President‑elect of the upcoming COP31 summit set for November 2026 in Turkey – outlined a clear agenda for accelerating the global energy transition. His remarks echoed discussions held earlier this year in Berlin, Paris, Santa Marta and Baku, where electrification emerged as a recurring theme among negotiators.
Electrification as a Central Lever
Kurum noted that electricity currently supplies roughly 20 percent of global final energy consumption [1]. To meet the Paris Agreement goals, he argued that this share must rise significantly through two parallel actions:
- Decarbonising power generation by scaling up renewable sources and retiring unabated fossil‑fuel plants.
- Expanding the use of electricity across transport, industry, buildings and cooking – sectors that still rely heavily on direct fossil‑fuel combustion.
“We must make the technologies of the future accessible at scale – and we must ensure that no one is left behind,” Kurum said, stressing that equitable access is a prerequisite for lasting climate ambition.
Financing the Transition
On climate finance, the COP31 Presidency pledged to work through the Global Implementation Accelerator and the recommendations of the Baku‑Belém Roadmap to increase funding for developing countries. Kurum highlighted several concrete targets:
- Mobilise concessional and grant‑based public finance to support adaptation, resilience‑building and loss‑and‑damage responses.
- Hold donor countries accountable for the $300 billion Baku climate finance target agreed upon at COP28 [2].
- Aim to triple the annual flow of UN‑managed climate funds by 2030.
- Ensure the replenishment of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) this year is successful, as it remains a cornerstone for financing mitigation and adaptation projects in vulnerable nations.
He also called for greater private‑sector participation, urging investors to align portfolios with the Science‑Based Targets initiative and to deploy innovative instruments such as green bonds and sustainability‑linked loans.
Oceans and Coastal Communities
Recognising that billions of people depend on marine ecosystems for food, livelihoods and cultural identity, Kurum placed oceans and coastal zones at the heart of COP31’s action agenda. He urged parties to:
- Integrate ocean‑based mitigation measures – such as offshore wind, tidal energy and blue carbon restoration – into national climate roadmaps (NDCs).
- Strengthen adaptation planning through biennial transparency reports and national adaptation plans that explicitly address sea‑level rise, storm surge and marine biodiversity loss.
- Scale up finance for coastal resilience, including mangrove restoration and sustainable fisheries management.
“For billions of people living along the world’s coasts, oceans are not an abstract climate issue. They are a source of food, livelihood, identity and security,” he remarked.
Implementation Pathways
Kurum reaffirmed that the UN climate process must remain anchored in nationally determined contributions, biennial transparency reports and national adaptation plans. He called on all stakeholders to turn pledges into concrete actions:
- Submit updated NDCs that reflect accelerated electrification targets and clear financing pathways.
- Deliver the first biennial communications outlining how developed countries will meet their fair share of the Baku financial target.
- Leverage platforms such as the International Energy Agency (IEA), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Global Renewable Energy Alliance to share best practices, technology transfer and capacity‑building.
- Monitor progress through transparent reporting mechanisms and adjust strategies based on the latest scientific assessments from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
By aligning technology, finance and policy, Kurum believes COP31 can catalyse a decisive shift toward a low‑carbon, resilient future – one that leaves no community behind.
References
- International Energy Agency (IEA). 2023. “World Energy Outlook 2023.”
- UNFCCC. 2023. “Baku Climate Finance Target – COP28 Decision.”
- Green Climate Fund (GCF). 2024. “GCF Replenishment Overview.”
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 2023. “AR6 Climate Change 2023: Mitigation of Climate Change.”
- International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). 2024. “Renewable Energy Statistics 2024.”
- Global Renewable Energy Alliance (GREA). 2024. “Annual Report on Renewable Energy Deployment.”
