Klima

I de sidste 150 år har verden fået stor økonomisk vækst. Det skyldes blandt andet, at man har brugt meget energi fra kul, olie og gas. De kaldes fossile brændsler. Når de bliver brændt af, kommer der CO2 og andre drivhusgasser op i atmosfæren. Gasserne virker som et drivhus: Solens stråler kommer ind, men varmen har sværere ved at slippe ud. Derfor bliver Jorden varmere. Det kalder man global opvarmning. Den kan give mere ørken, flere oversvømmelser og mere ekstrem varme.

Over the last 150 years, the world has had strong economic growth. One reason is that a lot of energy has been used from coal, oil and gas. These are called fossil fuels. When they are burned, CO2 and other greenhouse gases go up into the atmosphere. The gases work like a greenhouse: the sun's rays get in, but it is harder for the heat to get out. That is why the Earth gets warmer. This is called global warming. It can lead to more desert, more flooding and more extreme heat.

Man har vidst i mere end 100 år, at CO2 kan gøre Jorden varmere, men man troede først, at det ville tage flere tusind år. Siden 1850-1900 er temperaturen steget med over én grad. FN regner med, at det i slutningen af dette århundrede vil være 1,4 til 4,4 grader varmere end i 1850-1900. Det afhænger af, hvor meget landene skærer ned på udledningen.

People have known for more than 100 years that CO2 can make the Earth warmer, but at first they thought it would take several thousand years. Since 1850-1900, the temperature has risen by more than one degree. The UN expects that at the end of this century it will be 1.4 to 4.4 degrees warmer than in 1850-1900. It depends on how much countries cut their emissions.

Danmarks udledning af drivhusgasser faldt med cirka 53 procent fra 1990 til 2024. Men i verden som helhed er udledningen steget meget, fordi der bliver flere mennesker, og flere har råd til at købe mere. Problemet kan derfor kun løses, hvis mange lande samarbejder. I Paris-aftalen fra 2015 lovede næsten alle lande at være med til at sænke udledningen. EU har også aftaler med endnu højere mål.

Denmark's greenhouse gas emissions fell by about 53 per cent from 1990 to 2024. But in the world as a whole, emissions have risen a lot, because there are more people and more people can afford to buy more. So the problem can only be solved if many countries work together. In the Paris Agreement from 2015, almost all countries promised to help lower emissions. The EU also has agreements with even higher targets.

Klimarådet blev oprettet i 2014. Det giver råd om regeringens klimapolitik og vurderer den. I 2019 kom der en ny klimalov, som de fleste partier stod bag. Den siger, at udledningen i 2030 skal være 70 procent lavere end i 1990, og at Danmark skal være klimaneutralt senest i 2050. Vejen dertil er den grønne omstilling: Man skal holde op med at bruge olie og gas og i stedet bruge vedvarende energi som sol, vind og vandkraft. I 2025 kom 50 procent af det samlede energiforbrug fra vedvarende energi. I 1990 var det seks procent.

Klimarådet (the Climate Council) was set up in 2014. It gives advice on the government's climate policy and assesses it. In 2019 a new climate act came, which most parties supported. It says that emissions in 2030 must be 70 per cent lower than in 1990, and that Denmark must be climate neutral by 2050 at the latest. The way to get there is the green transition: stop using oil and gas and instead use renewable energy such as sun, wind and hydropower. In 2025, 50 per cent of total energy consumption came from renewable energy. In 1990 it was six per cent.

Vindenergi er særlig vigtig i Danmark. Allerede i 1970'erne stod der vindmøller på land. I 1991 åbnede verdens første havvindmøllepark, Vindeby ved Lolland. I 2025 lavede vindmøller 52 procent af den el, Danmark brugte. Danmark vil som det første land bygge to energiøer, en ved Bornholm og en i Nordsøen. Europa har siden 2022 købt meget mindre olie og gas fra Rusland, og grøn energi gør Europa mindre afhængig af Rusland.

Wind energy is especially important in Denmark. There were already wind turbines on land in the 1970s. In 1991 the world's first offshore wind farm, Vindeby near Lolland, opened. In 2025 wind turbines produced 52 per cent of the electricity Denmark used. Denmark plans to be the first country to build two energy islands, one near Bornholm and one in the North Sea. Since 2022 Europe has bought much less oil and gas from Russia, and green energy makes Europe less dependent on Russia.

Danmark støtter boligejere, der skifter olie- eller gasfyret ud med en varmepumpe, og stiller større krav til isolering. Bilafgifterne afhænger af, hvor meget bilen udleder. Transporten er stadig et område, hvor udledningen ikke er faldet meget, men flere køber elbiler. Landbruget fylder 60 procent af Danmarks areal. I aftalen Den Grønne Trepart fra 2024 er det besluttet, at cirka 15 procent af landbrugsjorden skal blive til natur, og at landmænd skal betale en afgift for CO2 fra deres dyr.

Denmark supports homeowners who replace their oil or gas boiler with a heat pump, and sets stricter requirements for insulation. Car taxes depend on how much the car emits. Transport is still an area where emissions have not fallen much, but more people are buying electric cars. Farming covers 60 per cent of Denmark's land. In the agreement Den Grønne Trepart (the Green Tripartite) from 2024, it was decided that about 15 per cent of farmland must become nature, and that farmers must pay a tax on CO2 from their animals.