Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, who will preside over the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) in November, announced on 21 September that a declaration would be drawn up setting out measures countries should take to address growing electricity demand driven by the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI). Another goal is to increase electricity’s share of global energy consumption.
The announcement was made in New York, where the United Nations General Assembly was convening. COP31 will take place in Antalya, southern Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November. The draft will be finalised before COP31 begins and, taking its name from the host city, will be called the “Antalya Pledge on AI”. The declaration will also call on AI companies to ensure transparency regarding their energy use and to use clean energy.
“The increase in energy consumption caused by AI needs to be discussed on a broad scale,” Kurum said. Kurum also proposed increasing electricity’s share of global energy consumption to 35 per cent by 2035, from around 20 per cent at present.
He stressed the need to advance electrification across a wide range of areas, including the transition from petrol-powered vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs).