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The Danish Government presents plan to ramp up climate adaptation

In response to the urgent need for protecting coastal areas, cities, homes, and infrastructure against the consequences of climate change, the Danish Government presents a new plan to ramp up national climate adaptation.

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Climate adaptation in Denmark

Sound of Green: The cloudburst that changed Copenhagen and urban water management

In the summer of 2011, Copenhagen experienced the most destructive cloudburst in the city's history. While the event was damaging, it also became the catalyst for a new way of approaching urban water management. Building on this experience, the public and private sector in Denmark has developed numerous solutions, know-how and expertise to adapt the unpredictable extreme weather events of the future.

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Sound of Green Climate Adaptation

White paper: Explore solutions for urban green transition

Danish urban planning is witnessing a shift from a “people-centric” to a “life-centric” approach, recognising planetary boundaries and life in all its diversity. Download our white paper on urban green transition and get inspiration on how to transform cities for a new reality.

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The Danish Government presents plan to ramp up climate adaptation

Sound of Green: The cloudburst that changed Copenhagen and urban water management

White paper: Explore solutions for urban green transition


Urban water management

White paper: Urban water management

Download our white paper on “Urban water management” and discover a broad range of perspectives and concrete cases on how to enable climate-resilient cities.
Discover the white paper

Combining climate change adaptation with urban development to gain greater value from investments

Cities around the world increasingly face the adverse effects of climate change, including rising sea levels, climbing temperatures, longer periods of drought and stronger storms. When combining these phenomena with the challenges of increasing urbanisation and the fact that most cities have extensive areas of impermeable surfaces, the need for rethinking urban development is clear.

Well-planned climate change adaptation initiatives reduce social, environmental, and economic costs caused by climate change. This includes reducing the risk of flooding and making sure that proper measures for coastal protection are in place. An integrated approach to climate change adaptation, urban development and urban water management is cost-efficient and allows for rainwater to be used as a resource to create more liveable and climate-resilient cities.

In Denmark, the most urgent challenges caused by climate change are extreme rain events and rising sea levels.

Sound of Green: The day Copenhagen flooded

In this podcast episode of Sound of Green, we tell the story of how a historic cloudburst changed the city of Copenhagen and explore how urban water management can build more resilient cities and liveable cities.

 

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Climate change adaptation with added value saves money

Over the next 15-20 years, Denmark will invest heavily in adapting its cities to climate change. The aim is to combine climate change adaptation with urban development and gain greater value from investments. Instead of expanding the underground sewage system, municipalities and water utilities are collaborating on making dual-purpose solutions. Surplus water can be led to structures above the surface such as green beds, canals or lakes around the city. In addition to increasing the stormwater drainage capacity, these solutions create recreational areas, which help to cool the city, increase biodiversity, and result in more urban areas with improved liveability.

The close collaboration between multiple stakeholders has brought Denmark to the forefront of research, technology development, know-how and best-practice in adapting to climate change. Danish experience shows that an integrated approach to climate adaptation is cost-efficient and creates added value for cities.

Furthermore, with a decision to augment the official development aid (ODA) budget for climate finance to 30 percent, with 60 percent specifically directed towards climate adaptation, Denmark signifies their unwavering dedication to global climate resilience.

Discover the Danish water value chain

From water treatment and supply to wastewater management and environmental conservation, the Danish water sector encompasses it all.
Discover solution providers throughout Denmark’s water value chain.

Explore the water value chain

Explore the Danish water value chain

By combining climate adaptation measures with exciting urban development, nature-based solutions can contribute to making cities not only more resilient to climate change but also more attractive places to live. The best examples of nature-based solutions success in solving more than one problem at the same time. Holistic solutions, however, require close collaboration between authorities, water utilities, organisations, private businesses, and individuals.

Denmark has a long tradition of such collaborations and we are proud of our results and solutions. Standing on the shoulders of this heritage, we are eager to share our experiences and lessons learned with other countries.

Dive into our digital visualisation of Denmark’s water value chain, and discover companies and organizations that specialize in water-related technology, research, and innovation.

Discover the full water value chain at greenvaluechains.com

 

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Biodiversity

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Pulsparken: Setting New Standards for Climate Adaptation and Well-being

22 September 2023
According to the Danish Health Profile, Denmark faces a range of challenges that demand innovative solutions. These challenges include a high stress level among adults, with 29% reporting elevated stress levels. Additionally, only 4 out of 10 Danes meet the WHO’s recommendations for physical a

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Climate change adaptation
Coastal protection
Flood prevention
Nature based solutions

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Climate partnerships

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Climate ministers convene in Denmark to set the course towards COP29

11 March 2024
For the third year running, COP discussions get off to an early start at the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial. This year’s ministerial, hosted by Denmark in cooperation with the former and current COP presidencies of the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan, will prepare the path towards a successful COP29 in Baku.

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Smart cities

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10 examples of climate technologies with documented impact

18 December 2023
Technology and digital solutions are important tools in addressing specific climate challenges in cities across the world. With an aim to inspire further implementation, this article gathers 10 examples from an analysis of climate technologies with documented impact in Danish municipalities.
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Meet Danish climate change adaptation professionals

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