Denmark is projected to reach its 2030 target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70% compared to 1990 levels. The updated figures from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities’ Climate Status and Projection 2025 report show that the emissions gap has been reduced to 0.9 million tonnes CO₂e, down from the previously projected 1.5 million tonnes.

Denmark has already more than halved its greenhouse gas emissions since 1990. To reach the legally binding 2030 target, emissions must fall further. According to this year’s climate projection, the reduction is now expected to meet the target with a small margin by 2030.

Each spring, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities publishes a status report on emissions across all sectors of the Danish economy—this year covering developments through 2023. The report also includes a projection, estimating how emissions will develop based on current political agreements and assumptions about economic growth and technological development. This makes it possible to monitor annually whether Denmark is on track to meet its climate goals.

Electricity and heating are at the core of emissions reductions

Climate Status and Projection 2025 also confirms that the energy sector—and the broader trend of electrification—continues to be the largest driver of the green transition. The sector was once Denmark’s biggest emitter due to its reliance on fossil fuels. Today, electricity and district heating, which were the largest emitting sectors in 1990, are projected to become the first to deliver net-negative emissions by 2030, thanks in part to carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Danes are also improving energy efficiency by insulating homes, installing heat pumps, and choosing electric vehicles, all of which support efficient energy use.

Strengthening climate ambitions beyond 2030

The Climate Act, which sets legally binding targets for achieving climate neutrality by 2050, also includes a 2025 milestone, requiring a 50–54 percent emissions reduction by that year. This year’s projection, based on consolidated figures from 2023, shows that the lower bound of the 2025 target has already been met, with emissions cut in half compared to 1990.

For the first time, the projection extends all the way to 2050. While uncertainty naturally increases the further into the future one looks, reductions are estimated at 80 percent by 2035, 86 percent by 2045, and 88 percent by 2050.

Find the original press release from Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities at: https://www.kefm.dk/aktuelt/nyheder/2025/apr/kf25-fundamentet-til-klimamaalet-for-2030-er-styrket- (in Danish)