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Denmark is obliged to switch to zero emissions flights, politicians say

Key allies of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday the country must meet a target of switching to zero emissions domestic flights.

Published: 20 January 2022 17:28 CET

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and other party leaders speak to media at Copenhagen Airport on January 20th.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and other party leaders speak to media at Copenhagen Airport on January 20th. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

In her New Year’s Day speech, Frederiksen said that the Nordic country would introduce one emissions-free domestic flight in 2025 and that all domestic flights would meet that criterion by 2030.

The prime minister attended a meeting at Copenhagen Airport on Thursday to discuss the matter.

“It’s now certain that there’s financing for this, so we’ll initiate the work as soon as possible. We are moving forward with this now,” Frederiksen told news wire Ritzau.

Representatives from the airport, airline SAS and two of the minority government’s parliamentary allies – the Red Green Alliance and the Socialist People’s Party – were also present.

“Green transition should impact all parts of society, including aviation, and we are fortunately also hearing this today,” lead political spokesperson with the former party, Mai Villadsen, told Ritzau.

Pia Olsen Dyhr, leader of the Socialist People’s Party, called switching to green flights a “mandatory assignment” for Denmark.

The primary task in switching to zero emissions flights is fuelling the aircraft. This could be possible using Power-to-X technology, a storage and conversion technology for electricity.

The aviation sector must be given the right incentive to make the switch to zero emissions, according to University of Southern Denmark professor Henrik Wenzel in previous comments to Ritzau.

“This is simply all about finding a model by which a climate tax can be applied to flight tickets,” he said earlier in January.

READ ALSO: Denmark aims for all domestic flights to be green by 2030

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Danish government to ban import of clothes containing 'forever chemical' PFAS

The decision to cut out PFAS in imported and Danish clothing products was announced by the Ministry of Environment in a statement.

“A national ban on the import and sale of clothes, shoes and waterproofing agents with PFAS is an important step on the way to limiting its emissions and will have a genuine environmental effect in Denmark,” Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said in the statement.

READ ALSO: Danish government criticised for failure to reduce PFAS contamination

Clothing, shoes and waterproofing agents are among the largest sources of PFAS in Denmark’s environment, according to the ministry.

Non-PFAS containing products are available as alternative options on the market, making a ban viable, it said in the statement.

An exception would apply for professional and safety clothing, which have different safety and functionality standards.

Project leader with the consumer interest group Forbrugerrådet Tænk, Claus Jørgensen, praised the announcement but said he would prefer the ban to be extended to child strollers, furniture and carpets.

The national ban would apply until any EU ban on PFAS in products comes into force, the ministry said.

Business organisations raised concerns over enforcement of a ban that would apply in Denmark but not the EU.

“Shops and retailers trade on the international market, where there is no production specifically for Denmark,” the Danish Chamber of Commerce’s environment and circular economy manager Anette Ejersted said.

“We therefore want to see the final proposal to assess how it will affect the retail trade in Denmark,” she said.

The government is expected to prepare an executive order for the ban by July 1st next year, with a one-year phasing in period, making it effective from July 2026. It will not apply to products purchased before this date.

What are PFAS?

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of synthetic chemicals used in various products since the early 1950s. Their past uses include foam in fire extinguishers, food packaging and in textiles, carpets and paints. Also known as ‘forever chemicals’, they persist in water and soil and can cause harm to human health.

Due to their chemical properties, they take a long time to break down and can be found in very low concentrations in blood samples from populations all over the world.

They are, however, unwanted in the environment because they have been found to have concerning links to health complications. Their use in materials which come into contact with foods, like paper and card, has been banned in Denmark since 2020.

PFAS have been linked to a series of health complications and, if ingested in high enough amounts, are suspected of causing liver damage, kidney damage, elevated cholesterol levels, reduced fertility, hormonal disturbances, weaker immune systems, negatively affecting foetal development and being carcinogenic.

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