Analysis — Published November 28 2023

Denmark’s Global Climate Action

Global greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced significantly if we are to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Denmark has ambitious climate targets for its territorial emissions. But Denmark also has a very high climate footprint outside the Danish borders which is not regulated by current goals or benchmarks. Denmark can, potentially, have a significant influence on emissions outside of its territorial borders. In a recent analysis on Denmark’s global climate action, the Danish Council on Climate Change (DCCC) recommends establishing a climate target for international transport, a benchmark for the climate footprint of Danish consumption, and a benchmark for climate finance for developing countries.

Danish climate policy has primarily focused on reducing territorial emissions

Danish climate policy focuses on the territorial climate targets for 2025 and 2030 that are written into the Danish Climate Act. According to the Act, Denmark has to reduce its territorial emissions by 50 to 54 percent in 2025 and 70 percent in 2030 compared to the level of emissions in 1990, and Denmark must be at net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. The national climate targets contribute to maintaining sustained political focus on climate action. However, Denmark can do much more to combat climate change by setting targets to reduce Denmark’s negative global climate footprint, and by enhancing the country’s positive global influence. For example, Denmark currently has no targets to reduce its climate consumption footprint and emissions related to its share of international aviation and shipping. These emissions are not accounted for in Denmark’s territorial greenhouse gas emissions.

A significant share of Denmark's climate impact and potential to promote the green transition lies outside Danish borders. Therefore, the DCCC recommends that Denmark set targets and benchmarks for its global climate impact to ensure political action in this domain. Such targets should complement domestic climate targets and should be considered as a supplement to them, not a replacement.

The DCCC identifies ten global focus areas in Danish climate policy

The DCCC has identified ten key global focus areas in which Denmark can influence global greenhouse gas emissions. The ten focus areas have been funnelled into four main subjects: 1) International transport, 2) Imports, 3) Exports and green technology, and 4) Climate finance and support. This is illustrated in Figure 1. The ten focus areas represent Denmark's positive and negative climate influence outside Danish borders. The arrows in the figure indicate the direction of influence, which can go both ways in all cases. For instance, climate funding and support mostly flow out of Denmark, but global financial flows also affect Denmark. The figure should not be seen as an exhaustive list of global action areas for Denmark, but it illustrates the areas where there is significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions abroad.

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