Energy Efficiency Gains Lag Global 4% Pledge
Business leaders urge COP31 governments to close the gap through standards and investable projects.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Energy
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The International Chamber of Commerce, which represents over 45 million companies, called on governments to elevate energy efficiency at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. The call is research-stage policy advocacy rather than a shipped product: global energy efficiency improved roughly 1.8% in 2025, well short of the 4% annual improvement pledged at COP28 in Dubai.
Why it matters
Efficiency frees grid capacity, cuts peak demand and gets more from existing assets while new generation is built. The ICC is pushing governments to move from targets to an actionable roadmap backed by policy signals and investable projects.
The 1.8% global efficiency gain in 2025 is measured against the 4% annual target set at COP28, a gap of more than half. Electricity currently makes up just over 20% of global final energy use, and several countries plus the incoming COP31 Presidency aim to raise that share to around 35% by 2035, a goal that remains a target rather than a demonstrated result.
The players
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
A business advocacy body representing over 45 million companies that publishes policy principles for the energy transition.
International Energy Agency (IEA)
An intergovernmental energy analysis body whose projections on efficiency and electrification shape global climate policy.
The details
Energy efficiency means delivering the same service with less energy input, such as a motor or building that consumes less power for the same output. The ICC says roughly half of countries still lack basic efficiency standards for new buildings, and about two-thirds have no mandatory standards for industrial motors, which are among the largest electricity consumers. Electrification, the switch from fuels like gas or oil to electricity in heating, transport and industry, works alongside efficiency, and the International Energy Agency projects the two together could deliver more than one-third of the emissions cuts needed by 2030.
Timeline
2025 — global energy efficiency improved roughly 1.8%, short of the pledged rate.
2030 — the year by which efficiency and electrification could deliver over one-third of required emissions cuts.
2035 — the target year for electricity to reach around 35% of final energy use.
COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye — where the ICC is calling on governments to prioritize efficiency.
The Tech Race
The COP28 4% efficiency pledge set the benchmark that the 2025 result of roughly 1.8% is now measured against. The ICC's ten principles and the IEA's electrification projections position efficiency and electrification as the next battleground in climate policy, ahead of COP31 in Antalya.
The ICC's principles are advisory and do not yet change any national rule. Any change to building or motor efficiency standards would depend on governments adopting them, and no timeline for that is announced.
The takeaway
Efficiency and electrification are now framed as the cheapest near-term route to emissions cuts, but the 2025 gap against the 4% pledge shows the target is currently being missed. Watch COP31 in Antalya for whether governments adopt concrete efficiency standards rather than only targets.
What happens next
COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye is the next scheduled point at which governments will consider the ICC's call to prioritize efficiency.
Further reading
For background on how grids, storage and generation are changing, see the Energy section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ICC - International Chamber of Commerce.
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