GREEN GROWTH: FROM RELIGION TO REALITY - Sustainia

Chapter 4dustry suggests that expectations have been fundamentallyreconfigured. Denmark’s policy objectives have thusproven to be self-reinforcing in two ways: across objectivesin the sense that they are intertwined, each contributingto the fulfilment of the others; and over time inthe sense that policy actions taken at one point in timehelp create the context that enables and supports policieswithin the next phase.From an international perspective, Denmark’s experimentswith the Smart Grid, electric vehicles, electric heatpumps, biomass use in district heating, etc. will provideimportant lessons on how to decrease an economy’s dependenceon fossil fuels. While these lessons must beunderstood in the context of the general Danish energystory as explained in this paper, they will provide valuableinsights for nations looking to – not just talk the talk– but also walk the walk of a fossil-free economy.Finally, the policies pursued by Danish governmentsdistinguish themselves by being relatively coherent over along period of time. The lesson here for any country seekingto reduce its carbon footprint is that it is crucial tosecure a stable coalition to support policy change. Transformingthe energy system in an economy is not somethingthat happens overnight. It requires concerted effortson the part of political, industry and civil society actorsover time, and in the Danish case the latter part of the storytakes place in the context of a EU that is also relativelyeager to pursue green policies. While the specific policiespursued by Denmark since 1973 may serve as inspirationfor countries seeking to reduce their carbon footprint, thekey is to understand that any such effort has to be undertakenin the context of stable coalition to sustain it in thelong term. It is this type of long-term progression that islikely necessary to create a transformation in societal andindustry behaviour and expectations.Works CitedAndersen, Jørgen Goul. 2002. Valgkampen 2001: Vælgernes politiskedagsorden. Aalborg: Det Danske Valgprojekt.Andersen, Jørgen Goul. 2008. "Et valg med paradokser: opinionsklimaetog folketingsvalget 2007." Tidsskriftet POLITIK no. 11(3):10-26.Andersen, Torsten, Marie Degn Bertelsen, and Jørgen Rosted. 2006.Miljøteknologiske styrkepositioner - En erhvervsanalyse af klyngedannelse.Copenhagen: FORA.Arbo-bähr, Henrik. 2010. Samfundsstatistik 2010. Copenhagen:Forlaget Columbus.Bille, Lars. 2002. "Denmark." European Journal of Political Researchno. 41 (3):941-946.Bøss, Jakob Askou. 2011. E-mail message to John Zysman. Berkeley,3 May and 29 May.City of Copenhagen. 2011. We want to be the first carbon neutralcapital in the world. City of Copenhagen 2010 [cited 13 May 2011].Available from http://www.kk.dk/sitecore/content/Subsites/City-OfCopenhagen/SubsiteFrontpage/LivingInCopenhagen/Climate-AndEnvironment.aspx. Last accessed July 28, 2011Danish Government. 1996. Energi 21. Copenhagen: Ministry of Environmentand Energy.Danish Government. 2010. Grøn Vækst - Udfordringer, mulighederog dilemmaer i den grønne omstilling. Copenhagen: Statsministeriet.Danish Government. 2011. Energistrategi 2050 – fra kul, olie og gastil grøn energi Sammenfatning. Copenhagen: Ministry of Climateand Energy.Danish Energy Association. 2009. Power To The People: 09 I 06 I09. Copenhagen.Danish Energy Association, and Energinet.dk. 2010. Smart Grid iDanmark. Copenhagen.DEA (Danish Energy Authority). 2009. The Danish Example. Copenhagen:Danish Energy Authority.DEA (Danish Energy Authority). 2010. Energistatistik 2009. Copenhagen:Danish Energy Authority.DEA (Danish Energy Authority). 2011. Resultatkontrakt 2011-2014 -mellem Energistyrelsen og Klima- og Energiministeriets departement.edited by Energistyrelsen. Copnehagen: Danish Energy Authority.De Lovinfosse, I. 2008. How and Why Do Policies Change?: A Comparisonof Renewable Electricity Policies in Belgium, Denmark,Germany, the Netherlands and UK: Peter Lang Pub Inc.Energymap.dk. 2011. Intelligent Energy System on Bornholm ClimateConsortium Denmark 2010 [cited 13 May 2011]. Availablefrom http://www.energymap.dk/Newsroom/Intelligent-Electricity-System-on-Bornholm. Last accessed July 28, 2011FORA. 2009. Kortlægning af miljøteknologiske virksomheder idanmark. Copenhagen: FORA.Grohnheit, P.E. 2001. "Denmark: long-term planning with different42