(Bloomberg) — The U.K. is no longer the most ambitious country in the world to cut CO2 emissions to fight climate change over the next decade.
Denmark’s climate minister Lars Aagaard announced on Monday that his government will put forward a binding target to cut emissions by 82% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. That is one percentage point more than the UK target set earlier this year.
And eventually, that number could be even higher. The Danish government said in a statement that the target would be set “as a point target in the range of 82 to 85 percent”. It is willing to allocate 4 billion crowns (about $620 million) a year to meet the goal, the statement said.
“It is essential that we send a bold and clear signal in the times we live in,” he told a press conference at the COP30 climate conference in the Brazilian city of Belém. “Too much is going the wrong way in this world. In Denmark, we will continue to show that ambitious climate action can go hand in hand with a competitive economy and strong social cohesion.”
Denmark is one of the most progressive countries in the EU when it comes to climate change and has geared its economy to benefit from clean technologies. By comparison, the EU has submitted a commitment to the United Nations to reduce the bloc’s emissions by 66.3% to 72.5%. Other major economies such as India and Saudi Arabia have not yet submitted updated targets.
Countries at COP30 are debating a range of issues, including how to accelerate emissions reductions and a possible plan for planning the transition away from fossil fuels.
–With help from Sanne Wass.
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