Page 34 - European Energy Innovation - autumn 2018 publication

34 Autumn 2018 European Energy Innovation

DENMARK ENERGY

A Danish cure for
Green Amnesia

By Morten Helveg Petersen MEP: Vice Chair, ITRE committee

Aspectre is haunting • Claiming to support renewable first”, but then watering down
Europe. However this time energy, but refusing to support ambitions, even as Europe needs
it is not the spectre of EU laws that increase the share to reduce its energy consumption
Communism, but rather of renewable energy even as and reliance on Putin’s Russia
the spectre of a frightening decease: wind and solar costs have halved more than ever.
Green Amnesia. It has already during the past three years.
infected governments across the • Acknowledging that the transport
continent. The symptoms are severe • Giving speeches praising a sector is key in terms of reducing
and may include: market-based approach, but then CO2-emissions, but then
allowing for protectionism and hesitating on reforms in favour
• Signing the Paris Agreement blocking of transmission of e-mobility and higher fuel
and committing to reduce CO2- of electricity across borders in efficiency standards.
emissions, but then forgetting the EU.
to support legislation that would These patterns of behaviour go
do so. • Alleging to put “energy efficiency directly against the governments’

Danish GDP, energy use and emissions
250

n GDP
n Energy use
n Greenhouse gas emissions
200

Percentage 150

100

50 1995 2000 2005 2010
1990

©Nordic Energy Research 2012. Source: EEA/World Bank 2010

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