Denmark's environmental commitment and protection measures

Ecology and Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe, the southernmost of the Nordic countries and lies just south of Norway and southwest of Sweden. It is essentially a large peninsula, and borders both the Baltic and North Seas. Politically, it is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government, and is also a large welfare state which underlies a free market economy, raking as having the highest level of income equality (Weir, 2007). Denmark's market economy shows above average standards for Europe, a high amount of free trade, and a nominal GDP that is also higher than most of Europe, and 15% higher than the United States. According to the World Economic Forum, Denmark is one of the most competitive economies in the world, despite having the most flexible labor market in Europe ("Invest in Denmark," 2009).

Despite having such a robust economy, however, Denmark is one of the most progressive countries in the world regarding environmental protection, preservation, and is 10th among the greenest countries in the world (Khan, 2009).

Historically, Denmark has been quite progressive in its governmental stance on environmental protection, establishing a full Ministry of the Environment in 1971 and becoming the first country in the world when, in 1973, it implemented environmental law into its Constitution. Denmark is active in global environmental politics as well, having signed the Antarctic Treaty, Kyoto Protocol, and the Endangered Species Act, all of which have aided Denmark in their aggressive stance to reduce their carbon footprint ("Denmark," CIA Factbook, 2009; Nye, 2007).

The capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, holds the honor of being one of the greenest cities in the world. Copenhagen has a strong local environmental policy, which, combined with the strong national policies on the environment and ecology, contribute to numerous active technologies designed to lead the world in conservation. Denmark, in fact, is home to 50% of the world's largest solar heating plants, and also obtains about 5% of its electricity through wind turbine power ("Copenhagen Receives Award," 2006).

It is not just in the capital city that environmental concerns are at the forefront of civilian consciousness. The Danes are quite active in the environmental movement, and has become one of the key "Cleantech" clusters of the world. Denmark has impressive 700 cleantech companies and 46 companion research institutions; employing more than 60,000 in the industry. Stimulating the economic health of the country, while capitalizing on the green revolution and stabilizing carbon emissions has become a source of national pride for Denmark ("Clean Edge," 2009).

Figure 1 -- Overview of Denmark's Carbon Footprint decline, in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year U.S. Dollar comparison (Denmark left, United States right).

(Source: "WolframAlpha," http://www02.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=denmark+green+house+gas+emission+per+denmark+gdp)

Denmark has considerable sources of oil and natural gas located in the North Sea, ranking 32nd in the wold among exporters of crude oil. Prospects are optimistic for future development, and Denmark also holds one of the highest ratings of safety and environmental protection ratings of any country using sea-based drilling methods (Danish Energy Agency, 2007).

Denmark and its citizens have taken a leading role in utilizing green technology and moving in the direction of environmental responsibility in wind energy, solar power, water treatment and pollution abatement, public transportation, and recycling (Conrad, 2007).

Wind Power - Most of Denmark's electricity is still produced from coal, but as noted, they are actively pursuing wind power technology. Because of energy taxes, however, Denmark has the highest household electricity prices in the world -- a true motivation for ways to save:

Figure 2 -- Comparison of Danish Home Electricity Prices 2000-2007 (Adjusted in U.S. Dollars per Kilowatt-hour):

Country

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Denmark

.197

.195

.209

.256

.283

.295

.322

.351

USA

.082

.086

.084

.087

.090

.095

.104

.106

Britain

.107

.101

.105

.116

.1368

.149

.186

.219

Norway

.058

.073

.081

.124

.117

.122

.156

.132

(Source: Energy Information Administration, 2008, http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/elecprih.html)

To encourage continued, and aggressive, investment in wind power, Danish families were offered a tax exemption for generating their own power within their own, or adjoining village or neighborhood. This might involve families pooling dollars to purchase a wind turbine, or share in turbine cooperatives, which in turn invested in the community as a whole. By 2004, over 150,000 Danish citizens were either members of turbine cooperatives or owned their own turbines. This trend is evolving with the private sector's involvement, but the overall increase in electricity demand from wind continues to increase (Swain, 2003; Danish Wind Industry Association, 2009).

Solar Energy -- Denmark is also leading the European Union in the use of both public (large scale) and private (small-scale) solar energy explorations. Danes are encouraged to utilize small solar power cells for their hot water production, and rural Danes encouraged to use solar heating and power as much as possible in their farming operations. Already, energy use for home hot water has dropped over 22%, and, like wind power, certain tax credits are available for citizens who invest in solar technology, especially those who allow excess to be "sold back" to the utility companies ("Denmark Solar Energy News," 2009). Combing solar power and wind turbines is becoming more popular with the Danish government, who hopes to place combination units along the seacoast and eventually generate enough excess power to sell to other EU countries:

Cutting energy costs and developing cleaner, more efficient solutions will be the industrial revolution of the twenty-first century, emphasized Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller at a wind energy seminar in Pretoria on Friday.

He noted that by redirecting economies to low carbon solutions, jobs could be generated and economic growth stimulated. "The key message is that green technology is not only good for the environment, but also good for business," said Moller.

"I believe there is significant potential for future growth, employment, and wealth within the growing global market for green technologies," he emphasized (Van Der Merwe, 2009).

Solid Waste - Denmark has an active solid waste plan as well, recycling more than 65%, with another 26% used in incineration with energy recovery. It has one of the lowest landfill percentages, 8%, and estimates show that over 67% of Danes "actively recycle." The government incents this, as well, by imposing a waste tax, encouraging a deposit-return-scheme for beverage containers, and increased taxes on specific products (packaging, PVC, carrier bags, etc.). Municipalities are required by law to adhere to a number of "green" initiatives. For instance, 60% of all waste paper from households must be collected for recycling; food waste from restaurants must be collected and marked for environmental use; and extra taxes on non-recyclable plastics must be imposed (Nielsen, 2004; Probst, 1999).