By Anders Lorenzen

A coalition of Danish political parties and the three parties making up the coalition government have had their Green Tripartite adopted by the Danish Parliament (Folketinget). The pact, created in June, has been described as a world-first nature and agricultural agreement that will see farmers taxed for their climate impacts. 

The pact has been signed between the governing parties, the centre-left Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats), the centre-left Venstre (Conservative Liberals) and Moderaterne (The Moderates).  It also included the non-governing parties, the left-wing party Socialistisk Folkeparti (Green Left), the right-wing parties Liberal Alliance (The Liberal Alliance), the centre-right, Det Konservative Folkeparti (The Conservatives) and the centre-left Radikale Venstre (Social Liberals).

The deal is so large and significant that the Danish government has created a new Ministry  toll implement the pact. They have appointed Jeppe Bruus as Minister who said, “It is a huge, huge task that is now underway: to transform large parts of our land from agricultural production to forestry, to natural spaces, to ensure that we can bring life back to our fjords.”

The tax

Starting in 2030, Danish farmers will be legally bound to pay 120 Danish kroner (Dkr) per ton of CO2 they emit, which will rise to 300 Dkr per emitted ton in 2035. (9 Dkr = 1 £)

Danish Climate Minister Lars Aagaard hails this as historic, saying, “We are to become the first country in the world to create a CO2 tax for the agricultural sector.”

Denmark is a nature-depleted country, where most of the land is taken up by the agricultural sector. In addition to the historical CO2 tax on agriculture, the pact also promises more and better wild nature and biodiversity in large connected nature areas.  

More trees, nature and biodiversity

In the Green Tripartite agreement, 50 million Dkr will be given to extend the current 15 Nature National Parks so that large connected nature areas will be created. The objective is for nature to grow without interference, in other words, in rewilded countryside where grazing animals contribute to creating a more varied landscape.  Birds, wild mushrooms, insects and plants depend on the nature that grazing animals create. 

In addition to extending the 15 parks, it also plans to create an additional six, bringing the total to 21. 

As a new experiment, the agreement also paves the way for the creation of a new Nature National Park near the capital, Copenhagen, so that its citizens could gain better access to unique nature.

Commenting on the pact, Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said: “Nature National Parks are key for reversing the loss of biodiversity. By giving our hard-pressed nature the ability to, without any interference, freely develop on big connecting areas, we create a fundament that allows flora and fauna better living conditions”.

This would pave the way for 10% of Denmark’s area to be covered by wild countryside and woodland by 2045. 250,000 hectares of new forest will be planted. Also 140,000 hectares of peatlands that are currently being cultivated will be restored to natural habitat. This will mean a gigantic tree-planting project over the next 20 years, with nearly a trillion new trees planted.

A key objective of the agreement is to reduce nitrogen emissions. Nitrogen has become an increasing problem due to much use of artificial and natural fertilisers, when the runoff from fields enters water systems and ends up in the sea. The government has set out that by 2027, nitrogen emissions will need to be reduced to 13,780 tonnes. If no action were taken, the expected emissions would be 55,800 tonnes.

The agreement also strongly focuses on Denmark’s marine areas, with 80 million Dkr set aside to reverse the loss of biodiversity in the country’s surrounding coastal waters,. Plans are also in place to create two marine national parks, though this is still being negotiated. 

In total, the government has set aside 186 million Dkr for these projects.