Denmark strikes climate deal to slash emissions

Bloomberg

Danish lawmakers have struck a climate agreement to ensure their country can live up to a goal of cutting carbon emissions by 70% from 1990 levels over the coming decade.
The deal, after winning broad backing across party lines, means Denmark will commit to cutting carbon emissions by 3.4 million tonnes. Lawmakers also agreed to build the world’s first energy islands, while investments will be made in carbon capture and greener fuels, the Climate Ministry said.
“This agreement shows the rest of the world that climate action and economic reconstruction go hand in hand,” the ministry said.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said it’s still not clear that the new deal will guarantee that Denmark can reach its goal of cutting emissions by 70%. That’s why “we must invest, innovate and research, so we can develop the technologies and solutions that will significantly reduce emissions,” she said.
Denmark’s climate goals put it on a more ambitious path than the European Union, which targets cutting carbon emissions by 40% in 2030. But the Nordic country still has a long road ahead of it, with the Danish Energy Agency pointing out last week that emissions would only be down by 44% in the next decade, unless extra measures are imposed. The deal was crucial to underpinning the prime minister’s credibility. Frederiksen’s Social Democratic government last year ousted a center-right coalition after promising voters more investments in renewable energy.
Denmark has blazed a trail for embracing climate-friendly policies, and its long-standing program of supporting green technologies has resulted in some of the world’s biggest companies in the field.
It’s now home to the world’s biggest turbine maker, Vestas Wind Systems A/S, and to Orsted A/S, the world’s biggest operator of offshore wind parks.
The Confederation of Danish Industry, which represents 11,700 companies, said it was happy with the new climate deal.
“This is a good and important agreement, which also builds on the major work and the many concrete recommendations from climate partnerships within the business community, and is completely in line with our 2030 plan for green growth,” CEO Lars Sandahl Sorensen, said in a statement.
Other details of the agreement include making it cheaper to consume renewable forms of heating, and costlier to use fossil fuels. Private oil and gas ovens will be phased out, and replaced with more environmentally friendly alternatives. Electric vehicles will get more recharging stations, while a raft of measures will ensure that industry shifts to more energy efficient solutions, the ministry said.