In covenant with the planetary boundaries
We are currently in an alarming situation where six out of the earth's nine planetary boundaries have been crossed. The solution is to put a lot of effort into restructuring our economy and reducing our resource consumption, so that we once again act within the earth's carrying capacity
Globally, we consume resources equivalent to 1,7 Earths each year. In Denmark, our resource consumption requires the equivalent of more than four earth globes.
That overconsumption comes with a big bill when you look at the global environmental condition, which is marked by crises and imbalances to that extent. We are currently in an alarming situation where six out of the earth's nine planetary boundaries have been crossed. This means that in six areas we have now reached beyond the limit of what human activity can "safely" allow without negatively affecting the global ecosystem - with the risk of evoking dramatic changes in the global environmental state. Out of the nine planetary boundaries that are crucial for the global ecosystem to thrive, we have today exceeded biodiversity, pollution, climate, release of reactive nitrogen and phosphorus into the environment, our land use and including how much forest we cut down and our consumption of fresh water. It is not sustainable if we also want nature, a climate and an ecosystem in balance in the future.
Our goal
Green Transition Denmark works purposefully to ensure that we, both in Denmark, the EU and globally, once again come to terms with planetary boundaries and restructure our economy and consumption so that we act within the earth's carrying capacity. Our ambition is that by 2040 Denmark has reduced resource consumption so that it is within the planetary limits. We must give more to nature than we take. It requires far more ambitious political action and concrete decisions that address the primary causes of the earth's imbalance: our overconsumption.
Sustainable consumption: The six most important policy measures
Green Transition Denmark works to ensure that the government takes the following initiatives:
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1. Raise Denmark's climate target to a minimum of 80 percent CO2 reduction in 2030 and set a reduction target for our global climate footprint of a minimum of 50 percent by 2030. It is crucial for Denmark to meet the EU's energy and climate requirements and to deliver its part of the Paris Agreement, thereby contributing to reducing the negative effects of the climate crisis on the earth's ecosystem.
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2. Design a binding reduction target for our resource consumption. Resource overconsumption is a huge climate challenge that must be addressed politically if we are to succeed in climate change. Therefore, there is a need for concrete objectives, strategy and action plans that can pave the way for a circular restructuring of Denmark. An independent resource council should be established, which can play the same role in the resource area as the Climate Council does in climate policy.
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3. Adopt a broad green tax reform, which ensures the financial incentives needed to reduce over-consumption of the earth's resources at the right pace – across sectors such as construction, agriculture, transport, industry and energy.
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4. Formulate an overall area strategy, which, with a focus on planetary boundaries and sustainability, creates a better framework for nature, biodiversity, expansion of renewable energy and far more sustainable agricultural production.
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5. Phase out of biomass in 2035. A phasing-out plan must be drawn up so that the burning of biomass is phased out by 2035 at the latest, which today has major climate consequences, but also major consequences for nature and biodiversity.
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6. Present ambitious green agricultural policy – which includes a high CO2 tax, concrete targets for conversion from animal production to vegetable production and higher taxes on imported phosphorus with a view to promoting recycling and limiting pollution and nitrogen loss. The ambition should be to live up to the EU's water framework directive.
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7. Take the lead in solving the chemical crisis and introduce bans on the most harmful chemicals and also introduce high chemical taxes, which can help to limit the consumption of harmful chemicals across industries.
