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Türkiye will make the climate impact of artificial intelligence and the use of clean energy for data centers key priorities at COP31, which it will host in Antalya next month, Climate Minister Murat Kurum said Monday.
The annual U.N. climate conference will also promote initiatives on cutting waste emissions, climate-proofing cities and expanding electrification.
Speaking in New York during Climate Week, Kurum said COP31 would address “growing fears over the rise of AI” and its increasing energy use.
“We must openly discuss AI’s growing energy consumption and it is time for governments to start setting the terms,” Kurum said. “We expect companies to be transparent about their energy use and to power their operations with clean energy.”
The COP31 presidency said it was developing a “political pledge” with a U.N. agency on how AI could support climate goals, with a draft expected before the summit.
A second initiative will highlight pilot projects aimed at demonstrating the responsible use of AI in practice.
The pledge will be voluntary and will not require approval from the nearly 200 countries taking part in formal U.N. climate negotiations.
Such nonbinding initiatives are part of the summit’s separate “action agenda,” alongside the official negotiations.
This year, Australia will preside over the formal political negotiations, while Türkiye will host COP31 and shape the sideline agenda.
A central part of Türkiye’s COP31 agenda is a new target to raise the share of global energy demand met by electricity to 35% by 2035.
Electrification involves replacing technologies that directly burn fossil fuels, including gas heating systems and diesel vehicles, with electric alternatives.
To contribute to climate goals, the additional electricity would need to come largely from clean sources such as solar and wind. Türkiye’s “35x35” target, however, does not specify how the additional electricity should be generated.
Countries remain divided over how to phase out fossil fuels, and a major breakthrough on the issue is not expected when formal climate negotiations begin Nov. 9.
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