Danish Climate Minister Lauds European Countries Vowing to Reduce their Dependency on Russian Gas During HPCA Virtual Forum

The Danish Minister of Climate, Energy, and Utilities expressed his hope that the tragic war in Ukraine will help accelerate the clean energy transformation by weaning Europe off Russian gas during a Virtual Forum (view recording here) last Friday (April 8). The event was hosted by the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements (HPCA) and moderated by Robert Stavins, HPCA Director and A.J. Meyer Professor of Energy and Economic Development. 

Dan Jørgensen, who played a significant role in maintaining the focus on reducing the rise of global temperatures during the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP-26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Glasgow last November, lauded the efforts of European countries like Greece that are proclaiming their intent to reduce their use of Russian gas in favor of other energy sources, although Greece has simultaneously announced that it will therefore have to increase its use of coal for electricity generation.

“One of the few positive things that might come out of a terrible situation is that we will now be forced to speed up the green transformation away from fossils in Europe,” Jørgensen said. “It has opened the eyes… I think, for decision makers all over Europe to ramp up the replacement of fossils — that's gas, that's oil, that's coal, with renewables. And we have a lot of potential for that in Europe.”

Jørgensen spoke of important legislation being negotiated in the European Union which would create new directives on energy efficiency and renewable energy that could, he stated, help EU countries greatly reduce their dependency on Russian fossil fuel.

Much of the discussion also focused on COP-26 and the decision by participating countries to agree on language calling for a “phase down” of unabated coal and to reduce inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. 

“On one hand, I'm disappointed that the text is not stronger than it is on those issues. On the other hand, it is really huge progress that it's now in the text, meaning that…[it will be] the starting point for the next negotiations [at COP-27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt],” Jørgensen remarked. “The overall result was a positive one. There was some real progress. But first and foremost, the aim of the COP-26 meeting was to keep 1.5 alive, so to speak. What does that mean? It means that if we hadn't made the decisions that we actually made then…it would be almost impossible for us to keep the promise of staying below 1.5 alive, and it wouldn't be credible.”

Looking ahead to COP-27, Jørgensen said negotiators will focus on the promise of more ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs) as well as questions surrounding finance for developing countries requiring short-term assistance to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels and adapt to climate change. 

“I do understand how some of the growing economies of this planet that are also now amongst the biggest emitters, why they think it's only fair that the richer countries of the planet help them in the transformation,” he stated. “We have a climate problem because rich countries have been polluting for more than 100 years. Now, some countries are raising their standard of living and…starting to pollute more. But I don't really think it would be fair for us to say, ‘You cannot have the same standard of living as we do.’ That would not be legitimate, in my point of view. And it wouldn't be fair if we didn't also offer help to mitigate the problem. So, we need to have a clear focus on the financing part.”

Jørgensen also shared his thoughts on the potential for carbon trading systems to reduce global emissions, arguing that pricing can be complicated but is absolutely necessary. 

“We need clear price signals in the market,” he said. “It needs to be more expensive to produce in a way where you're dependent on fossil fuels and less expensive to do the opposite.”

Stavins asked Jørgensen about the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), established in 2005 as the first large greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme in the world, and which now covers more than 11,000 factories, power stations, and other installations in 31 countries, including all 27 EU countries. 

“It is actually pretty incredible that we have this well-functioning system with 27 countries that is economically rational, that works, that cuts emissions, even in times of crisis where normally many countries will probably say, ‘Okay, well, we want to save the climate, but we need to get through this crisis first,’” he said. “In times of crisis like that, it's extremely important that we have these systems. And what I like especially about it is that it's a win-win. I mean, it is the cheapest, most efficient way of making a transformation.”

During the forum, Jørgensen also responded to questions from attendees from around the world, including those focusing on carbon capture and sequestration, solar radiation management, methane, nuclear power, and the youth climate movement.

This webinar series, HPCA Conversations on Climate Change and Energy Policy, features leading authorities on climate change policy, whether from academia, the private sector, NGOs, or government. Look for an announcement about the next Virtual Forum. You will be able to register in advance for the event on the HPCA website.