Danish Royal Visit 2015
Green and cheerful Denmark
Denmark aims to be totally independent of fossil fuels by 2050. The Danes, interestingly, were once totally dependent
on imported oil, and were badly hit by the oil crises of the 1970s – wisely then they took their new Green path.
Their economy is celebrated today as being both Green and environmentally attuned. Denmark is an international
frontrunner on fighting climate change. The Danish Government has set very ambitious targets of reducing national
greenhouse gas emissions by 40 % in 2020 compared to 1990 and to obtain 50 % of electricity from wind by
2020. The long-term goals are to shift the entire energy system to renewable energy by 2035 and to phase out oil,
gas and coal entirely by 2050. Since 1980 Denmark has grown to be a global leader in the development of new
sustainable technologies and solutions.
Agriculture and food is Denmark’s largest sector, employing some 169 000 people and exporting agricultural
products to a value of €20 billion. Denmark is a country with five million people but produces food for 15 million
people. The Danes are extremely resource efficient. They are also rated as amongst the world’s happiest people.
They pay one of the highest personal income taxes in the world and boast the world’s highest social mobility, a high
level of income equality and one of the world’s highest per capita incomes. The Danes have a lot to be proud of.
(which uses Grundfos pumps) farms (from piggeries to a wind
farm) a Windaba, a water tr