Today’s big topic: The greenest government in Danish history begins by leaving the nitrogen hammer in the drawer for an extra year
Farmers, particularly in low-lying areas, are having to make a lot of decisions right now about whether to take part in afforestation, create wetlands, or otherwise make up for the fact that their fields are releasing too much nitrogen into the sea.
What’s happening?
The first green deal struck by the government that calls itself the greenest in Danish history extends the deadline for farmers to cut the fertilizer emissions chiefly responsible for greasy scum, soupy seabeds, and fish kills in Denmark’s fjords.
The agreement, which the S-SF-M-R (Socialdemokratiet, SF, Moderaterne, Radikale Venstre) government reached Friday with Venstre (V), Liberal Alliance (LA), and Konservative (K), does tighten regulation of the fertilizer farmers spread on their fields, taking effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
But it covers two-thirds of the reductions needed for the water in fjords and inland waters to eventually turn clear and for the firm sandy bottom to return. The final third of the cuts has been postponed until »at the earliest« 2028.
Why it matters!
The political agreements on the aquatic environment are based on the premise that agriculture must cut 14,800 tons (just under a third) of its nitrogen emissions. In December of last year, the parties agreed that 9,600 tons would be found through regulation, meaning detailed requirements to reduce the amount of slurry and synthetic fertilizer applied to fields. Friday’s agreement, among other things, increases compensation to farmers for using less fertilizer by half a billion kroner, to 1.2 billion kroner.
The remaining 5,200 tons of nitrogen are to be found by having agriculture stop cultivating fields and convert them to wetlands, nature areas, forest, or grassland, unless the state treasury ends up having to buy their properties outright. Everyone wants to avoid that, because it is both extremely expensive and slow. But converting fields also takes time. A tally from Kommunernes Landsforening (Local Government Denmark) showed in May that approvals have been granted to establish wetlands that would reduce nitrogen emissions by just 650 tons.
Politicians had anticipated that agriculture would be far from delivering the 5,200 tons of nitrogen through land conversion as early as next year. That is why they built in a review of the agreement after this year’s summer recess to decide what to do about the shortfall. But on Friday, they effectively postponed addressing the shortfall until, at the earliest, 2028. That means Denmark will not only fail to comply with a 27-year-old EU directive on a clean aquatic environment, whose deadline is 2027.
Still curious? Read the full article here.
In other news
– Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Moderaterne, M) defends Bergur Løkke Rasmussen’s consulting job with the British defense giant
Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Moderaterne, M) sees no problem with the fact that his son, Bergur Løkke Rasmussen, has been hired as a consultant for the British defense giant Babcock, which is trying to win a multibillion-krone contract to build frigates for the Royal Danish Navy. In recent days, several politicians have criticized the fact that Bergur Løkke Rasmussen has been hired as a consultant – or lobbyist – for Babcock, which is currently competing with, among others, German, French, and Spanish suppliers to win a huge contract to buy a small handful of frigates at a total price tag of up to 50 billion kroner.
Asked to respond to the criticism, the Foreign Minister says: »Honestly, I have an adult son who’s a family man and runs his own business. He should be allowed to do that. And I don’t go around interfering. By the same token, I don’t have any deeper insight into what it involves«.’
Read the full article here.
– Denmark lead the way in the EU when it comes to purchases of electric cars
Electric vehicles are gaining ever more ground in the EU car market. In May, more than one in five newly registered cars in the European Union ran on electricity. That is according to the industry group Mobility Denmark, which said so in a press release on Tuesday morning.
Of the 955,013 new passenger cars registered in the EU in May, 203,417 were electric. That means electric cars accounted for 21.3 percent of new registrations, an increase of just under 43 percent compared with the same month last year. In May, 78.7 percent of Denmark’s new registrations were electric vehicles, the industry group said.
–A reckoning with controversial fishing is underway
Environment and Fisheries Minister Maria Reumert Gjerding (SF) is setting her sights in particular on mussel dredging and bottom trawling. Both practices drag gear across the seabed, stirring up silt and nutrients, with major consequences for marine life and, in some cases, for local water quality. According to the Biodiversity Council, an independent research-based expert body, parts of Danish waters are among the most heavily trawled in the world. In all, 42 percent of the seabed is fished with trawls.
The best summer cooldowns in Copenhagen
In summer, Copenhagen suddenly feels like a bigger city. It’s as if there are more places to go, more places to hang out and a lot more people everywhere.
All of a sudden, going out doesn’t require a grand plan. A quay by the harbor, a step, a bench in the sun, or the nearest patch of light can be enough.
And once you’re sitting there, what are you supposed to drink or eat?
Politiken’s reviewer has been around tasting some of the city’s cold answers to the summer heat. Find a couple of the recommendations below and read the full article here.
An extraordinary popsicle!
Popsicles from Det Hvide Hus, Gothersgade 113, Kbh. K.
At Det Hvide Hus, you can get homemade popsicles for 55 kroner apiece, and a view of Kongens Have is included in the price.
The one called Jinx is my favorite: rich vanilla ice cream with black currant, dark chocolate, and hibiscus tea on the surface. It’s creamy and tangy, with a satisfying snap from the chocolate. The Riddler lives up to its name. They won’t tell you the flavor until after you’ve ordered, and they ask whether you’re brave enough.
The best of the popsicles are truly delicious. It’s just that 55 kroner makes them more than something you grab on the fly.
The bite is everything
Mochi from Mochi Time, Frederiksborggade 21, Kbh. K.
Can you snack on ice cream? Mochi is probably as close as it gets.
At Mochi Time in Torvehallerne, you get small bites of ice cream wrapped in Japanese rice dough. They make them themselves, without artificial flavors or coloring. For me, the bite is everything. It has to be soft and chewy without sticking to your teeth, and they get it right here.
The mango version is easily my favorite: fresh, tart, and sweet without going overboard. Coconut-lime was a solid runner-up, according to my dining companion. Three pieces in a small box cost 79 kroner, or 89 with toppings. Otherwise, they’re 35 kroner each. It’s not cheap, but it’s not entirely unreasonable when you consider the craftsmanship.
A mascarpone coffee
Iced latte with mascarpone and cocoa fromSP Coffee, Pilestræde 37, Kbh. K.
I love tiramisu, so of course I stopped scrolling when SP Coffee’s iced latte with mascarpone and cocoa popped up in my feed.
It costs 85 kroner, and that’s worth saying up front. For that, you’re not getting a venti or a grande, but a relatively small iced coffee.
The foam is clearly the best part: soft, creamy, and just dessert-like enough, while the coffee still comes through. The coffee from April Coffee is part of a sustainability project that, in short, aims to make trade better and more stable for coffee farmers. And that costs.
Find the rest of the recommendations here.
This newsletter features stories originally published in Danish. AI was used to shorten and translate the articles into English, after which a member of the editorial staff reviewed and refined the content.