Denmark’s green game changer: From total fossil fuel dependence to steadily moving towards climate neutrality

The winters of the 1970s are not fondly remembered by many in Denmark. They were long and very cold, and there was not enough energy for heating. There was an energy crisis in the country, which at the time relied almost 100 percent on fossil fuels from the Middle East. It was a wake-up call for Denmark - both the government and the entire Danish society. It was understood that something drastic had to change, that the energy mix had to be diversified, that the predominantly black energy had to become greener as soon as possible, that the ecologically unsustainable had to gradually start changing into the sustainable.

Many dialogues and discussions were initiated regarding the direction the country should take in this area, what type of sustainable energy sources should be focused on, what to invest in and how. So, more than 40 years ago, this northern European country decided to focus its efforts on developing wind energy capacity, for which it certainly had good natural conditions - coasts, windy weather, a favorable relief layout... A lot of research was carried out, a lot of money went into the fund to support the wind energy industry. In the early 1990s, Denmark decided to take a very bold step at the time and built Vindeby, the world’s first offshore wind farm (wind farm at sea). This was one of the most important steps in the energy transition of this Scandinavian country, which only six years later became self-sufficient in energy supply, and at the same time a leading producer of wind energy, and its companies the leading manufacturers of wind turbines.

In the meantime, both at the state level and when it comes to Danish municipalities, long-term climate, energy and all other plans related to sustainability began to be adopted. Today, half a century after the game-changing energy and climate rethinking, as many as 96 out of 98 Danish municipalities have their own climate plans, and at the national level the goals are particularly ambitious. The Danes, the state and its citizens are striving to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030 compared to 1990 (globally, it contributes 0.1%). The country’s second ambitious goal is to become net-zero (climate neutral) by 2050, which it is certainly close to, although some parties in Danish political life want to accelerate this and achieve this goal by 2045.

And the current state of affairs, when it comes to the current energy mix and the share of renewable energy sources in it, indicates that a lot has changed in half a century, that the once dominant black energy has largely given way to the green one, and that currently renewable sources in that mix account for around 45%. Other data also show that Denmark has made a significant green turnaround and leap forward in the last few decades - while the country’s GDP has grown since 1990, at the same time water consumption (by 40%), energy (by 15%) and CO2 emissions (by 45%) have decreased. This is a Danish example that green growth is possible, according to State of Green, a non-profit organization that has been operating since 2008 and which a group of journalists from Serbia visited during a media visit to Denmark as part of the Pulse of Europe project funded by the European Union.

According to the organization, whose data is presented here, a lot has preceded this, but they add that one of the main reasons that led to this is that energy efficiency in the country has increased significantly and that both the state administration and citizens have recognized the importance of turning to sustainability and renewable energy sources.

– Yes, we now have more than 40% of our energy from renewable sources, but we are not proud of that, because we still have a significant share of fossil fuels in our energy mix. That is why our goal is to make all the labels that are currently marked in black and gray by 2050 green. That is very ambitious, but that is why we strive to accelerate and do a lot more work – says Ke Yu, project manager at State of Green.



She and Simone Falcon, her colleague in charge of communications, remind that in Denmark there are high taxes on both water and wastewater, but that taxation for this, as for many other things, works according to the carrot and stick system - if you adopt more environmentally friendly solutions and if you do not waste resources, whether it is households or companies, both your costs and taxes will be lower. As they point out, when it comes to water, energy and other resources, taxes certainly serve to change habits and adopt good practices, especially since the costs are not small. As Ke Yu says, for example, if someone lives alone, they need to set aside 7 euros per cubic meter for water alone, which means they will think carefully about whether to let the water run unnecessarily at the tap.

– The costs and taxes are high, but we know that, for example, when you go to the port, you see that the water is clean and that you can swim, and then you say to yourself: “Okay, that’s part of my tax payment, that’s what it’s being invested in, our children can swim there and enjoy it.” That’s the carrot and stick principle – explains Ke Yu.

When it comes to electricity, the Danes are also a few steps ahead of many countries, because as Ke Yu states, in Denmark they have an application through which they monitor daily electricity consumption, but not only that, but also at what time and in what part of the day which source of electricity is dominant, and in accordance with all this they take into account when to turn on the washing machine, for example.

A similar system is applied in Denmark and with companies. If a company, due to its job description, consumes large amounts of water (like a brewery) or has a lot of wastewater, it must count on having a higher tax for the water it uses in the entire production process. But, if that same company starts implementing more sustainable solutions that will save resources, both the tax and the costs will be different.

One of the first countries with a climate plan

Denmark is one of the first countries to publish its ambitious plan, in accordance with which it is very successfully moving towards the set goals. One has not yet been met, and that is the one about Copenhagen being completely carbon neutral by 2025. The capital of Denmark, as State of Green points out, has worked very hard to achieve this, many climate actions have been implemented, but they have not achieved it. However, the steps that Copenhagen has taken on the path to climate neutrality have encouraged and pushed other Danish municipalities to start taking similar steps.

What is crucial in this half-century transformation of Denmark from a country that relied entirely on fossil fuels to a country that is becoming more and more green is that the significance and importance of this transformation have been recognized by the state, the citizens and the private sector alike.

Established as an organization for the preparation of COP15, it has grown into a bridge connecting important actors in the field of green transition

State of Green was founded in 2008 in preparation for the organization of the UN climate conference COP15, which was hosted by Copenhagen in 2009. The Danish government needed a small working group for a variety of tasks in preparation for the event. And so, they set off. When the event passed, the government assessed that State of Green should continue its work, as a marketing and branding organization, someone who would tell the story of Denmark’s green transition, in order to increase the global influence of Denmark, as a small country, in this important area. State of Green is essentially a public-private partnership, a non-profit organization that connects companies and researchers with international actors, in order to accelerate the green transition. It receives support from the Danish government, four Danish ministries, but also from business associations in Denmark.

– So, we work with four different ministries, three Danish business organizations and the private sector, representing different Danish private stakeholders in the green transition sector. We work in areas related to energy efficiency, clean energy, water, sustainable agriculture and food, bio-solutions – notes Simone Falcon.

In State of Green, which brings together about 20 people, they are divided into two groups. One of them works on communications, networking, news, publications, website, social networks. The other group is in charge of different industries, some for water, some for energy, buildings, bio-solutions, green transition in general.

– It is important to understand that we as State of Green do not participate directly in any project. For example, people from a small municipality are working on a project and want to inform other stakeholders about it and then contact us so that we can connect them with them or, on the other hand, draw attention on our website to the project they are working on in that municipality so that others can see and possibly contact them. To increase their visibility. So, first of all, we work as a platform, a bridge to connect projects with the right people. For example, if someone from Basel contacts us, we connect them with a Danish company with which they could collaborate – explain Ke Yu and Simone Falcon.

Nuclear mindgame seesaw through a local and EU prism

It is remarkable that the story of Denmark’s energy transformation does not mention nuclear energy. But there is a reason. The country also considered it about half a century ago, when it was considering which new energy sources to focus on. But, since many citizens opposed the use of this source, in the eighties the country officially decided not to go in the direction of nuclear power plants.

– Now that is changing somewhat, there is talk about it within the ministries, but they are aware that a lot of effort and money would have to be invested in order to work on nuclear power plants. So, major analyses are currently being done for and against. There is a lot of discussion within the government about it because it is also a question of the security of Europe’s energy supply – says Ke Yu.



Copenhagen: Through green transition to tourist attraction

What is certainly one of the most important things, when talking about the implementation of such important measures and projects, is that citizens feel the practical benefits of it in their everyday lives. One of the best examples of sustainability and green transition, which is also a tourist attraction, is Copenhill (also known as Amager Bakke or Amager Hill), which opened a little less than ten years ago.

At this underground location, waste that cannot be recycled is processed, incinerated and converted into heat and electricity that supplies the capital, while at the same time, on the green hill above this facility, Copenhageners and tourists enjoy walking, skiing, sport climbing and views of this city. This is an example of how the green transition is included in the everyday life of the Danish people, emphasizes Simone Falcon.

Although it is not considered by some of the public to be as sustainable as it is presented, Copenhagen Hill was also crowned World Building of the Year 2021.

Dejan Aleksic

State of Green

Ke Yu

Simone Falcon

Vindeby

Amager Bakke

Copenhill

Pulse of Europe

climate neutrality

green transition