Denmark says confident will meet CO2 emission goal
Date: 30-Oct-00
Country: DENMARK
Author: Eva Sohlman
"We expect to reach our goal to cut CO2 emissions by 21 percent before 2012," Ture Falbe-Hansen, the agency's spokesman told Reuters.
Denmark wants to reduce its CO2 emissions by 21 percent between 1990 and the period 2008-2012 in line with the Kyoto global agreement to cut greenhouse gases. It says it slashed its CO2 emissions by nine percent between 1990 and 2000.
The agency said it was focusing on reducing energy use and making it more efficient. It was also supporting a switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources by not lowering taxes at times when oil prices were low.
The government has invested largely in energy efficient combined heat and power (CHP) plants and supported the creation of a market for green energy such as biomass, wind, solar and small hydro power.
Denmark takes half of its electricity from CHP.
Other means to reach the targets were continuing high taxes on energy coupled with a new plan to save energy in the public sector, said Falben-Hansen.
"We expect the proposal for energy savings in the public sector to come into force this year," he said, adding there might also be a further increase in energy taxes. "The government is still debating whether to raise the taxes or not."
Falben-Hansen said a controversial EU energy tax could help the country reach its energy goal but that the agency had not included the proposed law in its strategy.
"This law was very hot in the beginning of the 1990s but it has proven difficult to reach an agreement so we are not counting on it."