Denmark Told to Adopt Emergency Measures to Reach CO2 Goal

(Bloomberg) -- Denmark must adopt a number of emergency measures, including higher carbon taxes, if it’s to reach a goal of drastically cutting emissions, a government-appointed climate council said in a new report.

The country needs the additional steps to achieve a 2030 target of reducing emissions by 70% compared with the level in 1990, the council said on Monday. It also recommends that Denmark impose a half-way goal of cutting emissions by 50-54% by 2025.

The Social Democrat government is preparing for parliamentary talks on how to achieve its climate goals. The Social Liberals, a member of the ruling bloc, has threatened to pull its support if the government doesn’t produce a viable plan by June 5.

“We have the information we need to make decisions,” said Morten Ostergaard, the leader of the Social Liberals. “We asked the council to make its recommendations, and it’s advising us to act now.”

Denmark has already cut its carbon emissions by 38% compared with 1990, which is the base year set by the United Nations. At the current rate, the country is on track to reduce CO2 by 45% in 2030, assuming it passes no new climate legislation.

To contact the reporter on this story: Morten Buttler in Copenhagen at mbuttler@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Christian Wienberg at cwienberg@bloomberg.net, Tasneem Hanfi Brögger

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