Sharp decline in 2012 CO2 emissions
Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Building, Denmark:
Denmark’s push towards energy sustainability is paying off. Thanks to improved energy efficiency, Danes’ overall energy consumption has fallen. At the same time, fossil fuel consumption has declined, while reliance on greener energy forms is increasing. As a result, the overall volume of carbon dioxide emissions fell last year. “The 2012 energy statistics make for encouraging reading. They show clearly that we are on track when it comes to adopting sustainable energy – an effort a large majority of Parliament supports. We’ve seen sharp declines in CO2 emissions, while at the same time we are using more renewable energy and we have become more energy efficient. Coal, oil and natural gas consumption, on the other hand, has declined. That’s good news for the climate,” says Minister for Climate, Energy and Building Martin Lidegaard. In 2012, observed CO2 emissions fell 10.3% compared with the previous year. Adjusted for foreign trade in electricity, and for fluctuations in climate, emissions fell 4.4%. Energy consumption fell 4.5% compared with 2011. At the same time, renewables’ share of overall energy consumption rose 3.1%, while coal consumption declined 23.4%. (Source: http://kemin.dk/en-US/NewsAndPress/news/2013/Sider/Sharpdeclinein2012CO2emissions.aspx)