Countries on the fence over COP31’s flagship target

ANTALYA, Turkey — As world leaders arrive at the U.N. climate conference, the fate of the summit’s flagship pledge hangs in the balance. On Tuesday, the Turkish hosts held a ministerial meeting aimed at “showcasing early support” for their proposed target of raising electricity’s share of global energy consumption to 35% by 2035, an idea dubbed 35×35.

Only a smattering of governments, however, have explicitly backed the goal so far. Many major economies and big emitters have stayed mum. One diplomat from a developed country said that, for now, only a dozen nations were prepared to sign the pledge.

The tepid endorsement comes as presidents and prime ministers fly into Antalya for the conference’s leaders’ summit on Wednesday and Thursday. In the corridors, and occasionally in press conference rooms, negotiators voiced concerns about the pledge’s alignment with emissions-slashing efforts, the financial aid needed to implement the goal, and whether a brand-new target is necessary at all.