Denmark

Nearly half of the Danish population support the idea that EU and the rich, industrialized countries pay for the majority of the expenses, which developing countries experience in their efforts to adapt to climate change - according to a study made by MS Action Aid Denmark.

“Denmark is one of the richest and is also one of the countries that pollute the most CO₂ per inhabitant in the world. We therefore bear a great responsibility for providing substantial financial resources to enable developing countries to adapt to climate change”, says MS Secretary-General Frans Mikael Jansen. He is comforted by the fact that the Danes seem to have their priorities straight, and wishes that the world’s decision makers could agree on the same.

For poor people, climate change is not just another cause of economic loss. It threatens the very possibility of escape from poverty and may actively mean that more people struggle to make ends meet.

“Climate change is a potential threat against our fundamental work. We are at risk of getting stuck in a ‘state of emergency’ where the prospect of long-term development, our primary expertise, is neglected,” says MS policy officer Kirsten Hjørnholm Sørensen. MS is an active part of Action Aid International, which supports long-term development work, education programs and campaigns as well as exchange of experience and knowledge between people in 50 countries.

A recent report from Action Aid and Institute of Development Studies (IDS) indicates, that women are at the frontline of climate change, because they primarily plant the soil, has little or no education and no access to technology or capital. Women simply have fewer means to be able to adapt and prepare for extreme weather conditions made worse by climate change.

“A future climate deal should specifically address women’s special circumstances in developing countries. That’s one of the things that MS is very passionate about – securing women against the impact of climate change,” says Kirsten Hjørnholm Sørensen.

For MS Action Aid Denmark, the solution to the climate crises is not merely met with reductions of greenhouse emissions or employment of clean technology. If governments are serious about a just solution to the climate crisis, then they should start repaying their ‘climate debts’ to developing countries.

Repayment of that debt requires the ‘polluter pays’ principle to be at the heart of a comprehensive climate deal at the climate summit in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Calculations by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on adaptation suggest that developing countries will need at least US$ 86 billion a year by 2020 in addition to existing aid commitments. The estimated cost for the single Danish taxpayer will run up in 1000 Danish kroners per year.

MS Action Aid Denmark is pushing for the Danish government and the EU to find new and additional funding for the countries harmed by climate change, so that the necessary climate adaptation programs are not just paidat the expense of what wasintended for poverty reduction programs.

MS Campaign Coordinator Nils Brøgger Jakobsen works to raise the Danes’ awareness about the threat posed by climate change. By engaging in various projects such as “Bright Green Youth”, an innovative work camp, MS continuously seek to influence the public opinion.

“The Danes need to form a united front in order to influence the ongoing climate negotiations and the Danish government, so we can get a climate deal, that sufficiently addresses the consequences,” Nils Brøgger Jakobsen concludes.

Nasrin Billie, 27, is a Danish journalist with Somalian background. She has hands-on experience mainly in writing articles and features to Danish newspapers and magazines. Article complied concentrate on educational, social and cultural issues. Currently she is pursuing an Erasmus Mundus Masters degree in Journalism with a specialism in war and conflict.