Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said that Denmark will aim to make all its domestic flights carbon neutral by 2030.
In the New Year’s speech, Frederiksen said that against a background of rising temperatures a carbon tax would be introduced, and in addition, “we must be able to fly completely green when we fly domestically in Denmark.”
“Collectively, we must be as impatient as the planet needs us to be….Rising temperatures are destroying our planet. This year we will decide on a new and ambitious tax on CO2. It must ensure that companies that pollute the climate pay for their emissions themselves…. This also applies to air traffic. To travel is to live, and that is why we fly. But at the same time it is harmful to our climate. Imagine if Denmark could help solve that problem. We need to make it green to fly.”
The goal set out in the speech is that by 2025, “Danes must have the opportunity to fly green on a domestic route. And by 2030 at the latest, we must be able to fly completely green when we fly domestically in Denmark.”
Frederiksen said it would be “difficult” but thought that it would be possible.
“We are already on our way. Skilled researchers and companies are working on the solutions.”
The pledge did not detail how it this be achieved, although it could possibly include a combination of carbon offsetting and perhaps electric-powered flight for shorter domestic journeys. Copenhagen aims to become the world’s first carbon-neutral capital city by 2025, with Copenhagen airport being emission-free with emission-free transport to and from the airport by 2030.
Air France has outlined plans to reduce domestic short-haul capacity on some routes because of competition from high-speed rail, and several airlines now offset offset domestic flights.
Sweden pledged to make domestic flights ‘fossil-free’ by 2030, From January 1, 2022, it introduced differentiated landing-charges at Stockholm Arlanda and Göteborg Landvetter depending on the aircrafts’ climate impact.