Electrification is centre stage at COP31. How do we bring it to life?
COP31 is putting electrification in the spotlight, with the Presidency calling for a major shift in how the world powers its homes, transport and industry: meeting 35% of global final energy demand with electricity by 2035.
However, electrification has a communications problem. For audiences outside the sector, electrification can sound abstract, technical and distant from their day-to-day priorities. The 35 x 35 target is as much a communications challenge as a technical one.
That gap matters. Building an electric economy requires investment, political support and changes in the way organisations operate. For those of us in the energy sector, we need to communicate electrification in a way that makes it relevant to peoples' every-day priorities and communicate the benefits.
From global ambition to everyday decisions
At its simplest, electrification means using electricity in place of fossil fuels to power transport, heat buildings and run industrial processes: an electric van instead of a diesel one, a heat pump instead of a gas boiler, or electric equipment supplying heat for manufacturing. Combine that shift with renewable power, stronger grids and storage, and there is an opportunity to reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets while cutting emissions. This energy security framing is now critical and will likely carry much more weight than emissions reduction.
At Greenhouse, we have been supporting the global electrification transition through our work with the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). In June, we supported the launch of Electrify Now at London Climate Action Week. This week our work with GRA and WBCSD will bring renewable energy and business voices into the COP31 conversation, connecting climate ambition with security, affordability and competitiveness.
But political prominence does not automatically translate into action. A global target says little about what changes on a factory floor, in an investment plan or on a household bill. Effective communications needs to make that connection.
What does ‘good’ electrification communications look like?
1. Make it tangible
Start with something people recognise and what they value: bills, comfort, reliability, heating a home, running a production line or keeping deliveries moving. Use real-life examples of electrification projects and explain what changed, what it cost and what the benefits were.
2. Use trusted messengers
Let people with direct experience tell the story, whether that is a customer, an installer or an operations manager. Their practical insights can make an unfamiliar technology easier to understand and give others confidence to consider it.
3. Focus on action
A finance director needs evidence about costs and returns. An operations team needs confidence that equipment will perform. A policymaker needs to understand which barriers require intervention. Build the story around the audience’s priorities and the decision you want to inform. “Electrification is essential” is much less useful than a clear explanation of why a particular investment or policy change makes sense, and what it would enable.
4. Build confidence through evidence
Be upfront about electricity prices, initial costs and grid connection delays. Claims about affordability and security need evidence and an explanation of the conditions that make those benefits possible. Honest case studies, including what proved difficult, give businesses and policymakers a stronger basis for action than promises of an effortless transition. Communications cannot solve every barrier, but it can make the case for addressing them.
Join the conversation
I will be exploring these questions at Innovation Zero’s Electrifying the Economy conference on 23 November in London, where I’m hosting a challenge table on “How can we better communicate the benefits of electrification to drive impact?”
We will discuss how to turn technical capabilities and project experience into credible messages for customers, policymakers and internal stakeholders. If you are working to build support for electrification, join me and bring a communications challenge for us to tackle together.
COP31 will put electrification in the spotlight. Effective communications can help turn that attention into action.
