Addis Ababa, November 12, 2026 (FMC) – A group of countries has endorsed a COP31 Presidency pledge to increase electricity’s share of global final energy consumption from around 23% currently to 35% by 2035, signalling growing international support for accelerating the shift towards an electrified economy.
The pledge was endorsed at the COP31 Leaders’ Summit in Antalya, Türkiye, on November 11, as countries seek to strengthen energy security, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and advance the transition to cleaner energy systems.
Commenting on the endorsement, Dr. Nick Wayth, Global Director of the World Resources Institute’s Polsky Center for the Global Energy Transition, described the move as a signal that electricity will play a central role in future energy security, particularly amid energy price shocks and geopolitical instability.
He stressed that countries must translate their commitments into credible national electrification and clean-energy roadmaps, backed by investment, effective policies and regulatory reforms.
Delivering the pledge will also require expanding clean electricity generation, upgrading power grids, investing in energy storage and improving system flexibility to accommodate rising demand. On the consumption side, the transition would involve wider adoption of electric vehicles and buses, heat pumps, electric appliances and industrial technologies.
Wayth further underscored the importance of ensuring that electrification advances alongside a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels, noting that national pathways would differ according to countries’ circumstances.
The pledge places accelerated electrification at the centre of global efforts to build more secure and sustainable energy systems, while underscoring the need to turn international commitments into tangible national action.