The Climate Council, Denmark’s independent expert body on green transition, has assessed that the nation’s climate efforts are too focused on short-term goals, specifically the 2030 targets, and lack a comprehensive long-term strategy for achieving climate neutrality by 2045 and 2050. According to the council, a greater proportion of adjustments need to be made in the short term to achieve climate neutrality quickly.

The Climate Council’s annual assessment of the government’s climate program reveals that the current plans are too short-sighted. The report emphasizes the need for the government to develop clearer visions for achieving long-term climate goals.

While official projections indicate that Denmark is on track to meet the 2030 target of a 70 percent CO2 reduction, further progress is needed beyond that point. As the government prepares for negotiations on a new climate target for 2035, the Climate Council stresses the importance of aligning this goal with long-term objectives.

The official goal in the climate law is for Denmark to be climate neutral by 2050. However, the current government has proposed achieving this by 2045 and even absorbing more CO2 than it emits by 2050. Some parties have advocated for bringing climate neutrality forward to 2040.

The Climate Council urges that the new goal be enshrined in law to secure climate policy in the future. The specific target year for climate neutrality significantly impacts the size of the goal that must be set for 2035.

While the government has stated its intention to issue a climate action plan for the next ten years alongside the new 2035 target, the Climate Council believes this is insufficient. The report recommends that the action plan be complemented by a long-term climate strategy extending more than 10 years into the future.