Apenisa Waqairadovu 
[File Photo]
The COP31 Presidency has launched a new global push to accelerate climate action, unveiling ambitious targets on electrification, waste reduction, and energy efficiency.
Speaking at the Bonn Climate Change Conference, COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum announced a flagship goal to increase the share of global final energy demand met by electricity from just over 20 percent today to 35 percent by 2035.
He says the target is aimed at speeding up the shift away from fossil fuels across transport, industry, and buildings, and keeping the world on track to meet the 1.5-degree Paris Agreement goal.
The Presidency also set a goal to halve the growth of global waste by 2035, as part of its focus on a “zero waste” agenda, noting that food waste alone contributes significantly to global emissions.
A third target aims to cut energy consumption intensity in the building sector by at least 25 per cent by 2035 under its resilient cities programme.
The COP31 Presidency says it will build global coalitions to support implementation, while the International Energy Agency has been commissioned to map out pathways and assess the benefits of the initiatives ahead of COP31, which will be held in Türkiye in November.
