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ENVIRONMENT

Denmark slams other countries for ‘total embarrassment’ of climate fund failure

Denmark, an active foreign aid donor, on Tuesday slammed as a "total embarrassment" the fact rich nations have failed to raise a promised $100 billion a year to help poor countries battle climate change.

Published: 7 March 2023 16:04 CET
Denmark slams other countries for 'total embarrassment' of climate fund failure
Danish development minister Dan Jørgensen criticised other wealthy nations over lagging contributions to an international climate fund at the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Qatar on March 5th. Photo: Qatar News Agency/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix

Dan Jørgensen, Denmark’s development minister, told the UN Least Developed Countries summit that “trillions” would be needed in coming decades to control
the fallout from rising temperatures.

The impact of a heating planet on the world’s 46 poorest nations has been a key topic at the summit in Doha that ends Thursday.

Least developed countries account for four percent of polluting emissions but suffer more than two thirds of deaths from floods, storms and other climate related disasters, according to Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“It is a total embarrassment that the developed world has not yet delivered on the $100 billion that was promised in 2009,” Jørgensen said.

Rich nations promised at a climate conference in Copenhagen in 2009 that the sum would be given annually by 2020 but have so far only reached about $83
billion.

Denmark is one of a handful of Scandinavian-dominated countries that have passed a UN target to give 0.7 percent of gross national income in foreign aid.

Some developed nations have cut aid budgets because of the coronavirus pandemic while some European countries, including Denmark, have diverted
foreign aid money to support refugees from the Ukraine war and other international crises.

Denmark is “delivering more than our share,” said Jørgensen.

At a global level “we need to step up that financing,” he added, arguing that “we need trillions, so 100 billion really should not be a problem”.

France’s minister of state for development Chrysoula Zacharopoulou said that her country wanted to step up negotiations on aid financing at a summit
in Paris on June 22nd-23rd.

Stiell said that the COP28 climate conference to be held in the United Arab Emirates this year would be key for setting “milestones” and “targets” for
future years.

He said his office was ready to help all LDC countries set up national action plans on climate change before the conference in November.

READ ALSO: Denmark at ‘significant risk’ of missing 2030 emissions target: Climate Council

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ENVIRONMENT

Danish government to ban import of clothes containing ‘forever chemical’ PFAS

Denmark’s government plans to introduce a national ban on the harmful ‘forever chemical’ PFAS in clothing and shoes.

Published: 25 April 2024 12:13 CEST
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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