When the SVM government had to agree on its new government basis, it raised the bar for Danish climate ambitions to the highest level so far.
In 2050, Denmark should not only reduce emissions by 100 percent -- but 110 percent. But since then, there has been little in the way of concrete strategies to realize the new goal.
The government has not yet written this into the Climate Act, nor has a strategy been presented for how Denmark will become climate positive in 26 years. This is what the Climate Council calls for in a new analysis.
- We need that, because it requires long-term decisions that we have to make now in order to realistically reach the goal in 2050, says the chairman of the Climate Council, Peter Møllgaard.
To achieve a 110 percent reduction, Denmark must absorb more CO2 than is emitted. Here, afforestation is an obvious tool, but it takes decades before planted seeds absorb CO2 like adult trees.
The necessary technologies also take a long time to be developed.
- It requires efforts already today so that we can achieve it by 2050.
New paths are required
The Climate Council has identified opportunities to achieve a 90 percent reduction by 2050. The last step will require new paths.
- But it will not happen by itself, says Peter Møllgaard.
The Council therefore points out that a combination of fundamental behavioral changes and structural changes in animal production as well as the use of our land and the advent of new technologies is needed.
Minister for Climate Lars Aagaard (M) welcomes the Climate Council's focus on the 2050 target welcome. He reports that the government's new 110 percent target will be written into the Climate Act in the first half of 2025 - at the same time as a new reduction target for 2035 will be adopted.
However, it may be difficult to create a crystal-clear strategy for the 2050 target, says Lars Aagaard.
- You can have a picture of what the world will look like in 2050, but a lot can happen before then.
He points out that several of the instruments and technologies that will be crucial for absorbing more CO2 than is emitted in 2050 are already underway.
Lars Aagaard thus rejects the idea that the 2050 target is just a paper exercise.
- The further out in time, the more uncertain it is, but we have technologies that we are certain that we will need in 2050. We know we will need CO2 capture and pyrolysis. We know we will need much more renewable energy, and we know we will need to expand the forest area, and we are working on that.
/ritzau/
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