Climate summit starts in Turkey, countries want larger share of (sustainable) electricity
Expectations are low for the latest climate summit. It seems unlikely that countries will make big promises in the Turkish city of Antalya, where they are meeting from today.
In recent years, it has been hardly possible to make plans to combat climate change. Countries are divided among themselves and the United States no longer participates.
The organization therefore aims for practical plans that provoke little resistance. And by talking with 'willing' countries, you do not have to get everyone on the same page. Still, Australian negotiator Chris Bowen would prefer to make agreements with all countries.
Goals that countries are discussing during this summit include building more efficient data centers, reducing household waste, and reusing a larger portion of materials.
The most striking agreement countries want to make is to use a larger share of their energy in the form of electricity. For example, they want factories to replace gas and coal with electricity. Plus: getting more electric cars on the road and heating and cooling more homes with heat pumps.
Currently, the world uses 23 percent of its energy in the form of electricity. The rest mainly comes from burning fossil fuels. In the next nine years, the share of electricity should increase to 35 percent, says the chairman of the climate summit. In the Netherlands, electricity now accounts for a quarter of energy use.
In July, the European Union also came up with a plan to increase the share of electricity. That is a new development. "It is the first time we are even talking about electrification targets," says Sanne de Boer, energy transition expert at RaboResearch.
Combating climate change does not seem to be the most important goal. "What they want to achieve with it is less dependence on fossil imports, such as oil and natural gas," says De Boer. But other factors also play a role. "More use of renewable energy sources and a lower energy bill."
Europe already faced a peak in gas prices after Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Due to the Iran war, European companies and households again suffer from high gas, petrol, and diesel prices.
It may take a while before prices fall. Because industry in, for example, the United States pays less for gas, European companies that use a lot of energy are at a disadvantage.
In the short term, Europe can only limitedly increase the production of (fossil) fuels. But generating electricity can be increased relatively quickly by installing solar panels and wind turbines.
An additional advantage is that by focusing on electricity, less energy is needed to achieve the same result. Electric motors are so efficient that you can drive three times as far with the same amount of energy in an electric car as in a petrol car. Heat pumps can bring heat from outside inside and use less energy to keep a house warm.
Electrification also makes the fight against climate change more manageable. Because electricity use is so efficient, emissions decrease even if electricity is generated from fossil fuels. Nuclear power plants, solar panels, and wind turbines can also generate electricity without emitting CO2 that warms the earth.
No goal in itself
Switching to electricity is not a goal in itself but should help become less dependent, more efficient, and greener. "If you do it well, all that can be achieved by using more electricity," says De Boer. "But we have to do that smartly."
De Boer emphasizes that not everyone can use electricity at peak times simultaneously. The power grid cannot handle that. Plans must take that into account.
It is questionable whether the goal is achievable. Calculations by the International Energy Agency show that in an optimistic scenario, electricity use worldwide will rise to a maximum of 33 percent by 2035.