Türkiye says electrifying daily life can protect families and businesses from “volatile energy markets”. But could their plan keep us stuck in the fossil fuel era?
COP31 host Türkiye will put “climate-responsible AI” in the spotlight when it stages the UN summit this November, amid growing fears of its carbon footprint.
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On Monday (21 September) COP31 President-Designate and Minister of Environment Murat Kurum said that pushing tech companies to power data centres with clean energy would be one of the talks’ main priorities.
It follows Türkiye’s centrepiece electrification target, which aims to raise the global share of energy demand by electricity to 35 per cent, up from around 20 per cent, by 2035.
The 35-by-35 pledge was announced back in June as a way to help shift the world to a low-carbon future. It comes after what has been described as the “worst energy crisis in our history” due to worsening climate change and the fossil fuel shock from the war on Iran.
“By electrifying daily life, from transport to buildings and industry, we can protect families and businesses from volatile energy markets,” Kurum said.
“This 35 per cent by 2035 target will be one of the defining priorities of our COP31 presidency.”
Inside Türkiye’s electrification pledge
Electrification means replacing technologies that burn fossil fuels, such as switching a diesel-powered car or bus with an EV. However, this doesn’t necessarily eradicate the use of polluting fossil fuels.
The World Resources Institute (WRI) describes electrification as an “enabler, not an end goal in itself”, adding: “An electric car powered by a coal-heavy grid could be worse for the climate than a car that runs on [petrol]. Its benefits, in other words, depend on how the electricity is generated.”
Experts are now concerned that the 35-by35 pledge could allow governments to count expanded gas-fired generation as progress towards electrification targets – a move they say will “seriously undermine climate goals”.
“Let’s not let electrification become the Trojan horse of our times, used to hide new fossil fuel consumption rather than promote renewable energy,” says Claire Smith of campaign coalition Beyond Fossil Fuels.
Smith argues that the Presidency’s pledge as it currently stands “leaves the backdoor open” for governments to conceal or justify expanded fossil fuel use under the “guise of electrification”.
“We’re already seeing data centres divert electricity and renewable energy away from the sectors that genuinely need to decarbonise, driving higher fossil gas dependence and pushing up electricity costs for consumers,” she adds.
“Clear guardrails are essential to ensure that electrification advances both climate justice and equitable access to renewable energy, and not the fossil industry’s agenda.”
Duygu Kutluay, a campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels, similarly warns that electrification is not “inherently synonymous” with decarbonisation.
“Globally, we must ensure that the electrification agenda does not come at the expense of the urgent transition away from fossil fuels,” she adds.
Where does Türkiye’s electricity come from?
According to energy think tank Ember, 43 per cent of Türkiye’s electricity was generated from low-carbon sources last year.
Despite drought conditions, hydropower remained the country’s largest source of clean electricity (16 per cent). The country’s wind share in generation (11.1 per cent) is ahead of many G7 nations, including Italy (8.1 per cent) and nuclear-mad France (8.2 per cent).
Solar power generation (10.5 per cent) has doubled in Türkiye over the last couple of years, but still lags far behind southern European countries with similar potential like Italy (17 per cent) and Spain (22 per cent).
Coal remains Türkiye’s largest power source, covering 34.3 per cent of its electricity generation in 2025. This is 1.2 per cent above the world average and 25.07 above the EU average.
Almost two-thirds of Türkiye’s coal generation relies on imports, which analysts warn has implications for energy security. Türkiye is also heavily reliant on gas, which made 22.1 per cent of its electricity share last year. Again, this is above both the world and EU average.
The country’s power sector emissions almost doubled over the last two decades due to an increase in fossil fuel generation to meet rising demand, although the growth of wind and solar over the last decade has helped curb that trend.
Türkiye’s emissions per capita were level with the global average in 2025. The country now aims for 47 per cent of its electricity to come from renewables by 2030, slightly more ambitious than the EU’s binding target of at least 42.5 per cent.
“The global fossil fuel crisis experienced for the second time in the past four years has further highlighted the importance of the transition to clean energy,” says Ember’s Ufuk Alparslan.
“In this context, Türkiye has the opportunity to take on a leading role in the regional energy transition.”
