The government presented a new climate target for 2035 of 82 percent on Thursday, after failing to reach a broad political agreement in the Danish Parliament, which has led several opposition parties to sharply criticize the targets.
The new climate target is not praised by Green Power Denmark, which indicates that the government is adopting a narrow national perspective with the climate target, which does not take into account that Danish solutions can contribute to CO2 reductions outside the country's borders. The organization also points out that Denmark has special conditions for developing and exporting green energy solutions.
- A climate target of 82 percent is extremely frivolous and reeks of lost opportunities. It places Denmark in a quandary, where the climate is something we handle nationally. The climate challenges are international, and so should the solutions, says Thomas Aarestrup Jepsen, political director at Green Power Denmark, in a comment issued in response to the government's proposal.
At the same time, the organization emphasizes that Denmark, with a strong green industrial sector, can contribute to reducing emissions in neighboring countries, while creating growth and jobs at home. According to Green Power Denmark, this requires a climate target that supports investments in new technologies and industries. In addition, Green Power Denmark points out that a purely national climate target does not provide sufficient incentives to develop green hydrogen and PtX fuels for, among other things, aviation and shipping.
- We are in the process of building an industry that can produce and export green hydrogen. And we would like to refine hydrogen into green fuels for aircraft and ships. With a purely national climate target, there will be no incentives to push for the development of green fuels. It is sad, says Thomas Aarestrup Jepsen.
Criticizes narrow agreement
Green Power Denmark also criticizes the process behind setting the climate target and assesses that the lack of a broad political agreement can create uncertainty for companies and investors.
- It is disappointing that the government is cutting short the negotiations on something as important as the climate target for 2035. We have benefited from broad political agreements on climate and energy policy for many years. This has created stability and continuity that we have benefited from as a society. Now we will be left with a climate law without broad support – and with the associated uncertainty about the future, says Thomas Aarestrup Jepsen.
Finally, the organization emphasizes that the climate goal should support the electrification of society to a greater extent in order to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and strengthen both competitiveness and energy security.
- It is crucial that the climate goal puts Denmark in a better place, not only when it comes to climate, but also in relation to competitiveness and our security policy independence. This is done by working purposefully to electrify society, so that we become free from fossil fuels and have as low an energy bill as possible. The climate goal is supposed to support this development, and unfortunately the government's goal does not do this to a sufficient extent, says Thomas Aarestrup Jepsen.
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