Denmark welcomes Obama's later arrival to UN climate summit

Copenhagen - US President Barack Obama's announcement that he will attend the final stages of the UN climate change summit was welcomed Saturday by Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, whose country hosts the summit. 'President Obama's strong focus on climate change and his global leadership are key for the Copenhagen talks,' Rasmussen said. The summit aimed at securing an international pact on the reduction of greenhouse gases opens on Monday and runs to December 18. Obama was originally set to join the summit on Wednesday, one day before he receives the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. His decision to move his trip to the end of the session was an expression of 'the growing political momentum to reach an ambitious climate deal in Copenhagen,' Rasmussen said. According to Rasmussen, 103 heads of state and government plan to attend the Copenhagen talks. Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, was also pleased with the US president's decision but predicted 'the talks will be very tough.' 'President Obama's attendance at the end of the conference shows that the US realizes that the decisions will be made in the final phase,' he said on Swedish breakfast television. Development and aid organization Oxfam International and enviroment organization Greenpeace also welcomed Obama's announcement. 'President Obama will now be in the right place, at the right time with the right people,' Oxfam spokesperson Antonio Hill said. Martin Kaiser, Greenpeace International's political climate coordinator, said, 'Now that he (Obama) has moved the date, he needs to move his targets and his financial contribution to be in line with what climate science demands.' Source:monstersandcritics.com/ 

Promoting a climate of change in Denmark

Fadi El Masry is hooked on his iPhone. Classes are done for the week at Westdale Secondary School in Hamilton, and the Grade 12 student is weaving through a cramped hallway while still managing to keep his eyes glued on his mobile planner. He stops to chat with another student, his eyes shifting back and forth from her face to the iPhone screen. This addiction will escalate Monday, as the student starts blogging, Tweeting and videoblogging daily from the global climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, for two weeks straight. "I want to get the message out that ... Hamilton youth do care," said El Masry, 17. "Through my media component, I will be able to get much awareness out." In October, the local student was selected -- along with more than 20 others from across the country -- by the Young Liberals of Canada to attend the conference as a delegate for the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY). The summit, beginning Monday to Dec. 18, will bring together representatives from 192 countries to negotiate an agreement to reduce the impact of global warming. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the meeting. El Masry will observe most of the talks and workshops -- though he's barred from voting sessions -- and will share his experiences and thoughts with his online followers. He believes he's the only high school student from Hamilton attending the conference, adding it's important to educate young people about issues that will affect them in the long run. "In about a few years, they're going to say, 'Uh oh. We don't know anything about it,'" he said. "The future starts now." El Masry said he is most excited about the prospect of meeting Obama. It hasn't been confirmed, but IFLRY is trying to arrange for them to speak with the U.S. president during the summit. "That would be amazing." The student has to raise his own travelling expenses. He needs about $3,000 and has raised about $2,500. He's received individual donations as well as support from a Westdale student group he co-founded called Students Bridging Borders, which will be offsetting his carbon footprint for the trip. El Masry, who moved to Hamilton from Dubai seven years ago, didn't become an environmental advocate over night. It took some time to develop an interest, he said. "I did some research. During the summer ... I realized: 'Whoa, we have a problem here.'" You can follow El Masry's Copenhagen experience at felmasry.wordpress.com. Source:thespec.com/

At climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, the energy is in renewables

A funny thing happened on the way to the global warming summit that opens Monday in Copenhagen, Denmark. Even though the outlook is bleak for a legally binding agreement on climate change coming out of the 12-day meeting, the world's two largest countries, China and India, nonetheless announced targets beforehand to slow their carbon emissions – after years of resisting such a step. Why this late-minute flash of a red light on greenhouse gases by two of the world's biggest emitters? One reason may be political pressure not to be seen as international pariahs. But it is also likely that big industrializing countries now want to push the world faster toward clean energy in order to get a piece of the action in selling technologies in solar, wind, and biofuels. And that same aim may be one reason why President Obama changed his mind and is now expected to offer a 17 percent cut in US carbon emissions by 2020 (based on 2005 levels) – even though the Senate is nowhere close to backing him up on that goal. The clean-energy business has become a big job creator in many countries. The reasons are many: subsidies, regulations to reduce pollution and oil imports, or simply because more businesses anticipate a new pact on global warming in a year or so. Mr. Obama places investments in renewables as well as energy efficiency at the front line of his hopes for creating private-sector jobs. Some $80 billion of the 2008 economic stimulus package is slated for such industries. But there's a bit of a problem for the US in the global rush to renewables. "The world is passing us by," said US Energy Secretary Steven Chu last month. "We are falling behind in the clean-energy race," or what he calls the second industrial revolution. He notes that China is spending $9 billion a month on clean energy, having surpassed both the United States and Europe in high-tech manufacturing. By one estimate, the US commands only six of the 30 top companies in wind, solar, and advanced batteries. In Germany, jobs in the renewable-energy sector are approaching the number in auto manufacturing. Japan has a near monopoly on batteries for hybrid cars. Denmark has the largest wind turbine company. Within a few years, China is expected to dominate the global solar industry. And it is investing $88 billion in its electrical transmission grid to bring solar and wind power to its cities. The US Energy Department's statistical arm, the Energy Information Administration, estimates that the global investment in wind turbines and solar photovoltaic panels will be $2.1 trillion and $1.5 trillion, respectively, by 2030. That's a hunk of change to lose if the US does not become more competitive in these industries. The lag in US investments is even more worrisome after a report by American University revealing that 84 percent of the stimulus spending for renewable projects has gone to foreign companies. The biggest concern, though, is that China may soon become the hub in both the manufacturing and innovation of solar and wind technologies. That country's leaders, despite still relying heavily on coal and oil to grow the Chinese economy, have commanded that renewables be a big part of their top-down industrial policy. Americans may be left simply installing clean-energy imports from China rather than making them. In September, Obama promised that green-energy goods would have a "made in America" stamp on them. But he is stymied by the lack of action in Congress to pass a bill to boost renewable energy (which is separate from a bill to curb carbon emissions). Once lawmakers are done with healthcare, they will need to act on those measures on energy and carbon. As the nation's energy chief and a former scientist, Mr. Chu is confident that the US can catch up with its competitors in renewables. "When we gear up our research and production of clean-energy technologies, we can still surpass any other country," he says. China, India, and many other countries have already boarded this train. When will the US? Source:csmonitor.com/

Rotary Club seeks professionals for Denmark exchange

Rotary Club members of Newton and Rotary District 5690 are seeking four outstanding professionals to visit Denmark between Aug. 20 and Sept. 18, 2010, as part of the Group Study Exchange program of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. Through the program, teams of young professionals from two countries exchange visits. For four weeks, team members experience the way of life, customs and vocational practices of another country, while sharing information about their homeland. The purpose of the program is to promote international understanding and goodwill through personal connection. Team members stay in Rotarians’ homes and have the opportunity to meet their professional counterparts. They also give presentations to Rotary clubs and other groups about their home country. The Rotary Foundation pays for round-trip airfare, and Rotary club members in the host country provide meals, lodging, and group travel in their district. Team members pay for personal and incidental expenses. Young adults between the ages of 25 and 40 who are interested in applying should be employed full-time in a business or profession. Applicants must live in or be employed in Rotary District 5690. For an application or additional information, contact Group Study Exchange committee member Steve Johnson at CornerStone Law at 282-7300. Applications are due Feb. 28. Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Loading commenting interface. Source;thekansan.com/

Rebellion (Denmark) Spokesman On Trial for Terror Support

Patrick Mac Manus took the stand in Copenhagen City Court, December 3, charged with extending and encouraging economic support to “terrorist organisations” Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Mac Manus, 65, born in Ireland and a naturalised citizen in Denmark, is an historian and poet, who has been one of four spokespersons for the Rebellion Association (Oprør) since shortly after its founding in the spring 2004. He was arrested on August 9, 2005 after Rebellion had publicly declared that it had collected donations for FARC and PFLP and transferred the equivalent of 8000 Euros to each “democratic, secular and humanitarian” armed group fighting for liberation of its people. A photo of four brown-skinned men in military uniforms, two of them wearing t-shirts with Oprør printed on them, holding a supermarket (Irma) plastic bag stuffed with currency bills, was released on October 17, 2004. Before Mac Manus could be tried, he fell seriously ill. Then, in early 2007 seven anti-terror law activists (Fighters & Lovers) were arrested for selling t-shirts with the objective of financing media projects in Colombian territory, which FARC controls, and for PFLP. The first trial against Fighters & Lovers, held in Copenhagen City Court, resulted in a non-guilty verdict. The three judges rejected the prosecution’s case that FARC and PFLP were terrorists, seen within the context of a legitimate fight against oppressive regimes in Colombia, which do not rule by law, and a warring Israel illegally occupying Palestinian land. However, on appeal to first the High Court and then the Supreme Court, the fundamental defence argument of judging within the “context” of forces at war was rejected. The higher courts found FARC and PFLP to be terrorists and thus five defendants were guilty of supporting terrorists. They were sentenced to from two to six months in jail, but sentence was suspended. Prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen presented evidence confiscated from Mac Manus’ computer (internal organisation emails) and wiretapped telephone conversations, in which Mac Manus allegedly says funds were collected and a meeting was held with a Colombian. The defence contends that Rebellion, and Mac Manus, acted out a political stunt to provoke a debate about the terror law. Mac Manus asserted that the disputed photo was a manipulation, using political satire. The prosecution admitted that the police could not determine if the photo was, in fact, a manipulation, and there are no bank records of any transferral of funds. Denmark’s terror law, fashioned after George Bush’s Patriotic Act of 2002, makes it punishable with up to life imprisonment for conducting acts aimed at “terrifying a population… or to destroy a country’s or an international organisation’s fundamental policies, constitution, economy or societal structure” (paragraph 114a). Providing economic support for such actions or groups designated as terrorist is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. Since the trial is taking place in a city court, the maximum punishment can be no more than one year jail time. The prosecutor claims that Denmark’s law is what counts here and not international law. Mac Manus asserts that Danish law must be consistent with United Nations binding declarations that recognize the rights of people to take up arms when all other means are exhausted. He recently wrote: “9 Theses: The Right to Rebellion,” in which he cites the supplemental protocol of the Geneva Convention, in 1977, which legalizes “armed conflicts” when people are “fighting against colonial domination and alien occupation and against racist regimes in the exercise of their right of self-determination.” The trial against Mac Manus, one of more than 100 members of Rebellion (Denmark) who signed that they had defied the Danish terror law, continues on December 7, January 8 and 15. A verdict is expected on February 8, 2010. Source:dissidentvoice.org/

Copenhagen summit: Denmark rushes in laws to stop carbon trading scam

Europe's flagship carbon trading scheme suffered a blow today as the Danish government was forced to rush an emergency law through parliament to clamp down on a virulent form of VAT fraud. On the eve of the Copenhagen climate talks, which will attract world attention to emissions trading schemes, police and tax investigators across Europe are believed to be investigating hundreds of millions of euros worth of fraud involving carbon quotas originating in Denmark. Since British, French and Dutch governments took similar action in the summer, much of the "carousel" fraud involving carbon credits moved to Denmark, where registration of carbon quotas for the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is easy and a VAT rate of 25% makes the fraud attractive to international criminals. Experts said today that Copenhagen had long been an accident waiting to happen in terms of carousel fraud. Richard Ainsworth, professor of VAT policy at Boston University in the US said: "It is extremely surprising that after the French, British and Dutch had to move against this fraud in the summer that the Danes did not act more quickly, especially with the climate summit about to start." The Danish government today said it did not know how much money it had lost to the fraud but the number is likely to run into hundreds of millions – if not billions – of kroner. A spokesman for the Danish Energy and Climate Ministry, which supervises Denmark's carbon quota registry, said the rules for registration were being immediately tightened so anyone applying to trade carbon would face stringent checks. The fraud occurs when a trader of carbon credits in one EU country buys some from another country free of VAT, then sells them on, charging the VAT to the buyer. The seller then disappears without handing the VAT to the taxman. Some criminals re-export the credits, reclaiming VAT as they do so, then re-import them. They can do this repeatedly, reclaiming VAT many times, hence the "carousel" label. Britain lost billions of pounds to carousel fraud, mainly on mobile phones, in 2006 and 2007 before the government changed the mobile trade so that tax was levied only on the final buyer. The Danes have now introduced similar reforms – a day after a meeting of European financial officials rubber stamped a European Commission decision from September recommending that member states do so. The news is an embarrassment for the European ETS and for carbon trading generally, which is attracting a growing number of critics. Europe's carbon market is worth about €90bn a year. It is a combination of futures and spot trading and it is the largely unregulated spot market that was targeted this summer by the fraudsters. Recent figures from consultants New Energy Finance showed that the ETS suffered its first ever drop in trading volumes in the third quarter of this year because the second quarter had been hugely inflated by fraudulent trades going across France's Bluenext exchange. French VAT rules have now changed. The European Commission has estimated in the past that EU governments were losing more money to carousel fraud each year than they spent on the Common Agricultural Policy. Source:guardian.co.uk/

Gregoire going to Denmark for climate conference

The overseas jaunt raised questions this week from minority Republicans and other critics skeptical about global warming — especially at a time the state is in a budget crisis. But Gregoire’s chief of staff Jay Manning says the trip is key to the state’s economic recovery by being present at an international gathering where “green energy” companies are present and Washington can show it is a place where energy-innovators can thrive. “Our thinking has evolved … from the environmental threat to shifting to the economic opportunity. That is one reason she is going. There are a number of Washington businesses that will be there and a number of businesses we want to become Washington businesses,” Manning said in an interview. The trip is sponsored by the Georgetown Climate Center, which operates out of the Georgetown University law school and came into being a few years ago at the behest of activist states like California and Washington, according to Manning. The center and a nonprofit Chicago group, The Climate Registry, are splitting the expenses for Gregoire and two staffers, Janice Adair of the Department of Ecology, and Keith Phillips of the governor’s Office of Financial Management, Manning said. For more on this story, see Friday's Olympian. Source:theolympian.com/

A copyright violator in Denmark wants authorities to arrest him

A citizen of Denmark Henrik Anderson decided to check the force of the copyright laws in the country and copied some DVDs anyway, a whole bunch of them. Having uploaded the contents of 100 discs to his computer (for personal use), he's asking to be arrested. At first Anderson reported his crime to Denmark's Antipiratgruppen, a dedicated organization in Denmark that fights piracy. However the watchdog failed to take any punitive measures against the violator. The only answer was that since his DVD ripping was for personal use, it would not be pursuing legal action against him. Then Anderson decided to approach his local police asking them to arrest him for his committing the crime. It is unclear if the police responded. The Danish Ministry of Culture issued a threatening letter to Anderson warning him that his actions were against the law. But as we see the national anti-piracy group has no desire to prosecute him. This way Anderson shows to the public the paradox of contradictory laws and selective enforcement. Source:ecommerce-journal.com/

Denmark's 200% Car Tax: Crazy and Crazier

NY Times -- Is saving $40,000 at the showroom enough to get drivers behind the wheel of an electric car? With a program in the works to add easy access to charging stations, Denmark is about to find out. The country imposes a punitive tax of about 200% on new cars, so a vehicle that would cost $20,000 in the United States costs $60,000 here. For a quarter-century, electric cars have been exempt from that tax. But the models on the market were so limited in their capabilities that only 497 of them are registered in the entire country. For all their potential, electric cars have always been the subject of more talk than action, and only a handful are on the road in Denmark. But now the biggest Danish power company is working with a Silicon Valley start-up in a $100 million effort to wire the country with charging poles as well as service stations that can change out batteries in minutes. The government offers a minimum $40,000 tax break on each new electric car — and free parking in downtown Copenhagen. But even in Denmark, one of the most environmentally conscious nations in the world, skepticism abounds. It is not clear that car buyers can be persuaded to make the switch. “There is a psychological barrier for consumers when their car is dependent on a battery station,” warned Henrik Lund, a professor of energy planning at Aalborg University. “It’s risky.” MP: Two amazing points: First, a 200% tax on cars in Denmark? That seems crazy. Second, most car buyers in Denmark actually pay the 200% tax and buy a regular car when they could avoid it by buying an electric car? That seems even crazier. I always thought that if you subsidize something you get more of it. Not in Denmark I guess. Thanks to Stuart Anderson. Update: Denmark, which hosts the UN climate change conference next week, is often seen as one of the most environmentally friendly countries in the world. This reputation is mostly undeserved, but Denmark is doing its best to catch up. MP: Undeserved is maybe right, since many seem perfectly willing to pass up $40,000 in green subsidies and tax savings? Source:benzinga.com/

Denmark says 98 leaders coming to climate summit

COPENHAGEN, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Ninety-eight world leaders have confirmed they will attend the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen this month, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Tuesday. Such a turnout by heads of state and government would mean that leaders of more than half of the United Nations' 192 members would be present at the conference aiming for a new deal to combat climate change. "It gives me a strong feeling that we are on the right track," Rasmussen told a news conference. Host nation Denmark last month invited the heads of all U.N. member states to attend the final two days of the Dec. 7-18 conference to muster strong political support for an agreement. The number of world leaders enrolled has climbed gradually from the 65 that Denmark a week and a half ago said would come. U.S. President Barack Obama has said he will attend the conference on Dec. 9, a day before he is due to collect his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. Though most world leaders are expected to attend on the last two days of the conference, Dec. 17-18, in line with Denmark's invitation, officials have said that some may choose to come when Obama will be present. (Reporting by John Acher and Erik Matzen; Editing by Matthew Jones) Source:reuters.com/

In Denmark, Ambitious Plan for Electric Cars

Is saving $40,000 at the showroom enough to get drivers behind the wheel of an electric car? With a program in the works to add easy access to charging stations, Denmark is about to find out. For all their potential, electric cars have always been the subject of more talk than action, and only a handful are on the road in Denmark, The New York Times’s Nelson D. Schwartz writes. But now the biggest Danish power company is working with a Silicon Valley start-up in a $100 million effort to wire the country with charging poles as well as service stations that can change out batteries in minutes. The government offers a minimum $40,000 tax break on each new electric car — and free parking in downtown Copenhagen. But even in Denmark, one of the most environmentally conscious nations in the world, skepticism abounds. It is not clear that car buyers can be persuaded to make the switch. “There is a psychological barrier for consumers when their car is dependent on a battery station,” warned Henrik Lund, a professor of energy planning at Aalborg University. “It’s risky.” The Silicon Valley company, Better Place, is making a big push in Denmark and in Israel. That makes those two countries the world’s most important test cases for the idea that electric motors and batteries can supplant the petroleum-burning engines that have powered cars for more than a century. The experiment has other implications beyond the borders of this Scandinavian nation of 5.5 million. That is because Denmark is trying to do more than simply move away from the internal combustion engine. By revamping the power grid, Dong Energy, Better Place’s partner and the biggest utility in Denmark, wants to power the anticipated fleet of electric cars with wind energy, which already supplies nearly 20 percent of the country’s power. With Better Place and the smart grid working together, cars would charge up as the winds blow at night, when power demand is lowest. Charging would soak up the utility’s extra power and sharply shrink the carbon footprint of electric vehicles. “We’re the perfect match for a windmill-based utility,” said Shai Agassi, Better Place’s founder and chief executive. “If you have a bunch of batteries waiting to be charged, it’s like having a lot of buckets waiting for rain.” The Danes will be promoting their electric car ambitions starting next week, when they hold an international meeting in Copenhagen intended to make progress on a new agreement to combat global warming. “We want to be a test and laboratory country for electric cars, hybrid cars and other new technology,” said Lars Barfoed, the Danish minister of transport. “And as host of the climate change conference, that’s made us feel responsible and want to show the world we can do something.” Mr. Agassi, a press-smart Israeli-American entrepreneur who was formerly a top executive at the software giant S.A.P., has cast his company’s efforts in moral terms, because of the large contribution that gasoline and diesel cars make to global warming. But so far, the results are falling short of the rhetoric. In January 2009, Mr. Agassi promised that Denmark would have 100,000 charging spots in place and several thousand cars on the road by 2010. But with that deadline approaching, no Better Place cars are on the road and only 55 charging spots are ready. According to Better Place, 2011 has always been the target for its mass debut, and that has not slipped. The company plans a road test of electric cars during the climate conference. In addition to the charge points, Better Place’s vision calls for a network of stations where a robotic device could replace a battery in less time than it takes to fill a tank of gas. These switching stations are needed because batteries have a limited range of about 100 miles, and recharging takes up to five hours, so changing batteries en route would make long journeys more convenient. Consumers would buy the cars but get batteries from Better Place and pay a fee for the miles they drive, relying on the charging stations for local driving and the switching stations for longer trips. But even local supporters of Better Place worry that the switching stations, which could cost as much as $1 million each to build, are impractical, largely because the stations may need to stock a wide range of batteries to accommodate cars from different manufacturers. “I’m skeptical about the infrastructure,” said Klaus Bondam, Copenhagen’s mayor for technical and environmental administration. “It won’t work unless it’s standard on every electric vehicle produced.” So far, only one automaker, Renault Nissan, has agreed to make cars that work with Mr. Agassi’s switching stations. Getting more automakers on board is a looming obstacle for Mr. Agassi. Toyota, the market leader in hybrid cars, “sees no clear business advantage for us with Better Place,” said Graham Smith, senior vice president for external affairs at Toyota Motors Europe. Mr. Barfoed, the Danish transport minister, said that while the deal with Renault was a good start, “what about all the other cars? What about the competition?” Mr. Agassi professes to be untroubled that carmakers are not rushing to sign up, and he rejects other criticisms of his plan, as well. “In every industry, the incumbent always said it’ll never change,” he said. “The mainframe guys said people will never need PCs.” Jens Moberg, a former Microsoft executive who is the chief executive of Better Place Denmark, acknowledges the challenges and concedes that, aside from a few demonstration sites, little infrastructure has been put in place so far. “I believe the automakers will embrace electric vehicles on a large scale; it’s just a question of when,” Mr. Moberg said. Stocking different batteries “is a challenge, but we can handle it because we have a flexible design for the switching stations.” “We will be ready for 2011 when Renault ships the car,” he added. Perhaps the main reason to think electric cars might have a shot in Denmark is their remarkable tax advantage. The country imposes a punitive tax of about 200 percent on new cars, so a vehicle that would cost $20,000 in the United States costs $60,000 here. For a quarter-century, electric cars have been exempt from that tax. But the models on the market were so limited in their capabilities that only 497 of them are registered in the entire country. The combination of an advanced mass-market car from Renault Nissan and practical charging options from Better Place will be the first real test of whether a tax break that large is enough to force a shift. To stimulate the market, local and national governments in Demark are expected to buy many electric cars for their own use. “The one factor that you can’t find on a spreadsheet is the willingness of the people in government to lead change,” Mr. Agassi said. “And in Denmark every single one of them is engaged and willing to do whatever it takes to get Denmark to be a leader in electric vehicles.” Source:nytimes.com/

Denmark, Climate Summit Host, Tops Table of Fighting Climate Change With Wind Power

BRUSSELS, December 4 /PRNewswire/ -- In the run-up to the crucial climate change talks in Copenhagen, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) has published a league table showing which EU countries are best at exploiting CO2-cutting wind energy. Top of the table is Denmark, with the highest amount of wind energy capacity per square kilometre of national territory. Germany comes a close second and the Netherlands third. Spain, in fourth place, has half the wind power density of Germany. Portugal and Ireland are above the EU average wind power density. Italy is not far below average, while France and the UK each have less than half of the EU's average density of wind power capacity. Romania, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus are floundering at the bottom of the league with next to zero wind power generation per km2. The density of wind power per km is the best means of measuring and comparing the extent to which different countries exploit their wind power potential. The future of wind power in Denmark looks bright as, according to an August 2009 survey carried out by an independent market research institute, 91% of Danes support the further development of wind power in their country. If the eight geographically largest Member States had the same density of wind power capacity per km2 as Denmark, they would produce enough wind power to meet 19% of total EU-27 electricity demand and avoid 362 million tonnes of CO2 emissions - equivalent to meeting more than 30% of the EU's 2020 climate target. "Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands are European leaders in fighting climate change with wind-powered electricity" said Christian Kjaer, Chief Executive of EWEA. ­­­­­"The figures released today also reveal the huge potential for wind power growth in most countries. Laggards in wind energy - including France, the UK, Sweden, Finland and Eastern European countries - can easily play catch-up," Kjaer added. "The future of wind power in Europe lies in offshore as well as onshore wind power, and some of the pioneer countries will add wind power capacity just by repowering existing plants - replacing old smaller turbines with bigger, more powerful ones which are now available on the market" Kjaer said. The report containing the just-published league table - entitled "Pure Power" and published today - also outlines EWEA's predictions for growth in wind power by 2020. The industry calculates that it can meet up to 16.6% of EU electricity demand by 2020, or 14.1% in a lower, business-as-usual scenario. The eight geographically largest countries in the EU include Sweden and Finland as well as France, Germany, Spain, Italy, UK and Poland. League table extracted from the Pure Power report: MW of wind energy capacity per 1,000 km2 (End 2008) Denmark: 73.8 Germany: 67 Netherlands: 53.6 Spain: 33.2 Portugal: 31 Ireland: 14.3 EU-27: 14 Luxembourg: 13.5 Belgium: 12.6 Italy: 12.4 Austria: 11.9 Greece: 7.5 France: 6.2 UK: 5.9 Sweden: 2.3 Czech Republic: 1.9 Estonia: 1.7 Poland: 1.5 Bulgaria: 1.4 Hungary: 1.4 Lithuania: 0.8 Finland: 0.4 Latvia: 0.4 Slovakia: 0.1 Romania: 0 Slovenia: 0 Malta: 0 Cyprus: 0 To download the full report visit http://www.ewea.org/index.php?id=178 Media Invitation to COP 15Journalists, photographers and camera crew attending the international climate change negotiations in Copenhagen are invited to follow the wind industry activities at COP15. Boat trip to Middelgrunden Offshore Wind farm* Sunday 13 December, 10:30-12:30 Two hour trip to wind farm of 20 turbines, 100m tall at blade tip height, in curved line 180m apart stretching for 3.4km. Trip will include 15 minute briefing from high level wind industry representatives on the wind farm being visited, the contribution wind power makes to reducing CO2 emissions, and the negotiations from a wind industry perspective. Great photo/film opportunity of offshore wind farm, plus possibility for interviews with leading industry representatives. * Registration obligatory - ap@gwec.net Source:prnewswire.com

DENMARK TEAM PROFILE

MORTEN OLSEN took the job in July 2000 after Denmark suffered a poor campaign in the Euros. His first task was to guide his team, then known as 'Olsen's Eleven,' to the World Cup finals in Japan and Korea where he famously oversaw the elimination of holders France in the group stage before being knocked out by England in the second round. Olsen, who won over 100 caps as a defender, was at the peak of his popularity at this time and turned down offers from elsewhere to sign a new four-year deal with the Danish FA. He then guided his side to Euro 2004 but this time they fell short of expectation by failing to emerge from their group. Denmark have not qualified for a major tournament since then and have been undergoing a transitional period as key players like Brian Laudrup, Thomas Gravesen, Ebbe Sand and Martin Laursen departed the international scene for different reasons. Olsen, 60, has remained in the job despite criticism from sections of the media. His contract expires after the next World Cup and he has announced his intention to step down by recommending Michael Laudrup as his successor. DANGER MAN: THIS is not a vintage class of Danish players but Nicklas Bendtner stands out as one of the few players to be playing in the Champions League this season. The Arsenal striker scored some vital goals in qualifying, including the first in a sensational 3-2 win in Portugal which condemned Cristiano Ronaldo and co to the play-offs. He also netted the priceless goal in Portugal which earned his side a point in a 1-1 draw. Bendtner, 21, has been a regular for Arsenal for most of the season and has already been named Denmark's Player of the Year for 2009. While playing in a two-man front line he has arguably looked more dangerous at international level than he does playing wide for the Gunners. He could pose a surprise threat for his country at the World Cup because defenders who have not played against him will expect his threat to come from the air. His partnership with Morten Rasmussen has been worked on since some stormy days together in the Under-21s, when Bendtner described the Brondby striker as "the lesser player" when he made way for him near the end of a match against the Netherlands. It is still possible he could partner former Newcastle and AC Milan striker Jon Dahl Tomasson in attack if Olsen decides he needs an experienced player in his front line. ROUTE TO SOUTH AFRICA: Denmark qualified impressively and topped their group by taking four points from second-placed Portugal, including an excellent 3-2 away win. They also scored a notable 'double' victory over neighbours Sweden, beating them 1-0 home and away. They finished two points clear of Portugal. WORLD CUP HISTORY: 1986: Second round 1998: Quarter-finals 2002: Second round WORLD CUP HIGHLIGHT: Their greatest moment was perhaps the 6-1 demolition of a fancied Uruguay at Mexico '86. Preben Elkjaer scored a memorable hat-trick. COUNTRY POPULATION: 5.5million NUMBER OF PROFESSIONAL TEAMS: 28 NATIONAL BEER: Carlsberg Source:newsoftheworld.co.uk/

What happens in Denmark directly affects poor Latin Americans

PUERTO MALDONADO, Peru (CNS) -- Julio Cusurichi worries about the weather in this steamy corner of Peru, where he and his Shipibo Indian neighbors plant small plots of corn, beans and cassava to feed their families. "There used to be a pronounced summer and winter," he says. "Now it's crazy. One day it's cold, the next it's hot. You don't know when to get ready to plant." Despite the thunderheads that gather almost every afternoon, he is also concerned about water. "The streams aren't like they used to be," he says. "They're smaller." Climate experts warn that the western edge of the Amazon basin, at the base of the Andes in Peru, could see hotter, drier weather because of climate change. Cusurichi is not surprised. "I've been talking about climate change since 2000, even though people told me I was crazy," he says. Throughout Latin America, from coastal fishing villages to urban shantytowns, from the Andes to the Amazon, poor people and indigenous communities are expected to bear the brunt of climate change. Decisions made at the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dec. 7-18 will directly affect their ability to adjust to the changes. Church leaders are speaking out about the consequences of a warming climate and the need for financial and technological assistance to help poor people and small farmers adapt. "Based on the teaching of the Catholic Church, we have the responsibility to be stewards of the planet," Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini Imero of San Marcos, Guatemala, told Catholic News Service. "That stewardship is lacking. And climate change has the greatest impact on the poor and the vulnerable." Bishop Ramazzini was part of a delegation of prelates who traveled to the United Nations in September to talk with environment ministers from around the world about the need for strong action at the climate conference in Copenhagen. As the conference approaches, however, he worries that major greenhouse gas emitters, such as the United States and China, are unwilling to commit to major changes. "I have little hope that countries will make radical decisions in Copenhagen that can help stop climate change," Bishop Ramazzini said. "In addition, the voices of poor countries and small countries tend not to be heard in these big meetings." Guatemala and other parts of Central America are already feeling the stress of climate change, with drought in some areas and unusually heavy rains in others. "Small farmers say we no longer have stable seasons," the bishop said. That perception is echoed elsewhere in Latin America. In the southern Peruvian Andes, indigenous farmers have seen glaciers shrink by about 30 percent in the past three decades. Farmers rely on rain to irrigate their crops during the growing season, between November and May, but glacial runoff provides drinking water for people and livestock during the rest of the year. It also waters the boggy high-mountain pastures where farmers raise llamas and alpacas. Villagers in Machata, east of Cuzco, have watched Mt. Ausangate, a huge peak of rock that is sacred to the local people, turn from white to black as its snowcap melts. "We're worried about our children's future," farmer Crispin Mamani Condor said. "We know that in other places, water is more expensive. We're worried that the water will disappear." Local governments have been slow to respond, said Magda Mateos Cardenas of the St. Joseph the Worker Association, a Jesuit-run social service organization in Andahuaylillas, between Machata and Cuzco. While most climate change adaptation projects focus on technical solutions, such as installing drip irrigation systems and building reservoirs, governments need to take a long-term view and reforest watersheds with native tree species to help capture water and prevent erosion, she said. Her view is borne out by historical evidence. Recent research by British scientists Alex Chepstow-Lusty and David Beresford-Jones on the Peruvian coast indicates that the collapse of the Nazca culture, which flourished on the arid Peruvian coast until 500 AD, coincided with a drought that was probably aggravated by clearing of trees in the desert along the Andean foothills to plant cotton and corn. On the eastern side of the Andes, scientists worry about the effects of deforestation in the Amazon. Worldwide, loss of tropical forests is responsible for about 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Source:thebostonpilot.com/

Denmark coach will miss Arshavin, Keane, Ibrahimovic at World Cup

Copenhagen - The 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa will likely see dazzling efforts from many players, but Danish coach Morten Olsen Thursday said he will miss three forwards in action. Since Ireland, Russia and Sweden failed to qualify, stars like Tottenham Hotspur's Robbie Keane, Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin and Barcelona's Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be absent during the tournament. 'There will always be players you miss,' Olsen told Danish news agency Ritzau. 'Zlatan would have been a terrific player to follow at the World Cup, but if you want to see Zlatan, check out Barcelona. The play a lot of games.' Olsen said he understood why Arshavin reportedly had been 'depressed over missing out on the World Cup,' observing that there were not so many opportunities to participate at World Cup finals. 'The European championships are big, but the World Cup is the world's greatest sports event,' Olsen said. The draw for the 2010 World Cup takes place on Friday in Cape Town. Denmark secured an automatic qualifying berth from its group that included Portugal and Sweden. Source:monstersandcritics.com/

Copenhagen, Denmark Seen from Space

Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is highlighted in this image. The largest city in Denmark, Copenhagen is located on the eastern side of the island of Zealand (left) and on the island of Amager (right). The island visible east of Amager is Saltholm, translated as ‘Salt Islet’. The white structure southwest of Saltholm is the artificial island of Peberholm, translated as ‘Pepper Islet’. Peberholm was created as part of the Øresund Bridge, a combined two-track rail and four-lane road bridge-tunnel across the Øresund Strait that connects Copenhagen with the Swedish city of Malmö (not visible). Peberholm serves as a crossover point between the bridge, completed in 2000, and the 4050-m long Drogden Tunnel. Copenhagen Airport is visible as an L-shaped, white structure on the eastern side of Amager. Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is highlighted in this image. Credit: ESA SPOT-4 acquired this image in 2004. SPOT-4 is supported by ESA as a ‘Third Party Mission’, which means ESA utilises its multi-mission European ground infrastructure and expertise to acquire, process and distribute data from the satellite to its wide user community. Source:spacefellowship.com/

The alarming rise of pig abuse in Denmark

In Denmark, an increasingly high number of pigs are arriving at slaughterhouses with visible injuries caused from being beaten with planks and chains.

Copenhagen Post reports that the reason for the growing rate of abuse may be the new system, introduced in 2006, which rewards the fast loading of animals onto transport vehicles. In the past two years alone the number of pig abuse cases in Denmark has quintupled.

The University of Copenhagen’s Department of Veterinary Disease Biology and Denmark’s leading slaughterhouse, Horsens’ Danish Crown, have both recognised the trend which has seen some instances of over 30 pigs arriving at abattoirs with serious injuries from a single truck.

Professor Henrik Elvang Jensen of the University of Copenhagen claimed that studies into the injuries indicated that most had occurred while the animals were still on farms. Elvang Jensen said that pipes, chains and other blunt instruments were the likely cause.

The new system which came into place in 2006 where farmers are rewarded for fast transportation of the animals was also called into question. “When a system is like that it can provoke a violent reaction if the farmer suddenly sees 30 pigs running in the wrong direction,” the professor said.

Danish Crown’s pork production committee head Erik Bredholt said that the practice of beating animals was entirely unacceptable; but added, “Every farmer knows you don’t get your pigs loaded on to the truck faster by beating them”. Bredholt argued instead that the rise in porcine trauma had little to do with the new system but was rather a reflection of the increased economic pressure most farmers are currently facing.

Source:icenews.is/