Denmark’s change-driving narrative: The Green Omstilling

The Sustainable Hour no. 517 | Transcript | Podcast notes

In its 517th episode, The Sustainable Hour explores the Danish approach to the climate crisis and the importance of collective action and a shared vision. 

Denmark’s commitment to the green transition, or ‘Den Grønne Omstilling’, has created a unifying expression that drives change and actively reshapes the Danish society. In Denmark today, the government, the business community, and media are all playing an active role in promoting sustainability and climate action under the banner ‘The Green Omstilling’

This episode highlights initiatives in Denmark, such as biodynamic farming, climate-neutral urban communities, banning fossil cars from the CBD of major cities, and even a carbon capture project. 

The key message is that we need to regulate the harmful aspects of capitalism and work together to create a strong community and a sustainable future.

. . .

Our co-host Mik Aidt reflects on the almost four weeks he has been spending in his country of birth, Denmark. He introduces us to three of the people he has been meeting on his journey:

John Shone – an Aussie futurist who had to go to Denmark to realise his dream of establishing a farming co-op.

Tine Lindhardt – a project manager for the municipality of Aarhus, explaining how the city’s “Climate-Neutral Urban Community Transition” currently is lined up to hit the zero carbon point at 2030.

Sinnet Bødewadt – a businesswoman who has worked with sustainability in IKEA: A decade ago she was helping them give birth to their first sustainability strategies. Today she’s head of Nature Plus and calls herself an ‘Earth’s ally’ and a storyteller.

We also listen to excerpts of a TED-talk by the Swedish climate scientist Johan Rockström, who has been very influencial in the Danish public debate about climate and The Green Transition.

. . .

Having our own Mik on as a guest today was very much a treat. His observations of the general acceptance of the climate crisis in Denmark at the moment compared to the situation here were instructive and shows there’s clearly much work to be done in that space here.

How much easier to both set and achieve emission reduction targets if everyone, from the government down, takes this seriously and accepts responsibility for doing what they can to be part of the solution.

We’ll be returning to interviews Mik set up while he is in Denmark over the next few weeks. These will hopefully shine extra lumens on and give us a model to follow here. We’ll be back with some more solution seekers and climate truthtelling next week. Be honest! Be omstilling-ready!


“The most powerful vision of capitalism was expressed by John F. Kennedy when he said that the tide lifts all boats. However, especially in the United States, indeed in much of the Western world, the truth in recent years has been that the tide has been content to lift the biggest boats. Capitalism has become sick. It’s not due to luck that Denmark is now one of the richest and most equal and most secure societies on earth. It’s only the result of political choices, of a social contract. In Denmark we have tried to extract the best aspects of capitalism’s enterprise and profits while regulating the greediest and most harmful aspects. The gains have been sought to be distributed more fairly and reinvested in a strong community, while the destructive sides have been limited.”
~ Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s Prime Minister


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We at The Sustainable Hour would like to pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the land on which we
are broadcasting, the Wathaurong People, and pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.

The traditional owners lived in harmony with the land. They nurtured it and thrived in often harsh conditions for millennia before they were invaded. Their land was then stolen from them – it wasn’t ceded. It is becoming more and more obvious that, if we are to survive the climate emergency we are facing, we have much to learn from their land management practices.

Our battle for climate justice won’t be won until our First Nations brothers and sisters have their true justice. When we talk about the future, it means extending our respect to those children not yet born, the generations of the future – remembering the old saying that, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”
The decisions currently being made around Australia to ignore the climate emergency are being made by those who won’t be around by the time the worst effects hit home. How disrespectful and unfair is that?



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‘The Green Omstilling’ – what should we call it in Australia?

The environmental philosopher Joanna Macy coined the term “The Great Unraveling” to describe the convergence of multiple, interrelated crises – what some call a “polycrisis” or “metacrisis.”

But what we talk about in The Sustinable Hour podcast week after week is how we maintain our focus on quite the opposite. The Great Renewal.

Denmark provides an excellent model for this concept. In Denmark they have an expression, and this expression is used by literally everyone. Citizens, business leaders, politicians, the media, academics – everyone. That phrase is Den Grønne Omstilling.

This expression is not simply a title; it has become a core part of the Danish vocabulary, a name for an ongoing societal transformation. It is both a call to action and a reflection of what is already happening – a shift that is inevitable, comprehensive, and occurring at every level of society.

Den Grønne Omstilling has become so embedded in Danish society that it almost functions as a single word. It shifts attention away from the overwhelming climate emergency (which as individuals we feel powerless to fully address) to the urgent transformation that needs to happen – and is happening – across all sectors of society.

I believe we need a similar phrase in English, one that resonates in Australia and beyond. What we need is a term that encapsulates this transformation as something active and present – a movement that is already underway, not just a distant ideal.

Both Deepl.com, Google and ChatGPT suggests using ‘The Green Transition’ as the English/Australian translation for Den Grønne Omstilling.

However, ‘omstilling’ doesn’t actually mean ‘transition’. Ask how ‘omstilling’ translates to English, and Deepl.com suggests ‘Reorganisation’, while Google suggests ‘Adjustment’.

This is why I started looking for a better name, a better way to translate The Green Omstilling.


Which term should Australians use for ‘The Green Omstilling’?

Translation suggestions that have come in from our listeners:

• The Green Turnaround
• The Green Transition
• The Green Transformation
• The Green Redirect
• The Green Reset
• The Green Restructuring
• The Green Reorientation
• The Green Switch
• The Big Green Shift
• The Giant Leap
• The Green Chain Reaction
• The Practice Shift
• The System Shift
• The Routine Shift
• The Survival Shift

Mik’s suggestions:
• The Green Shift
• The Great Renewal
• The Great Shift
• The Big Shift
• The Green Recalibration
• The Sustainable Shift
• The Green Conversion
• The Green Reorganisation
• The Green Omstilling (Australia already has adopted the Danish word ‘Ombudsman’)

The babylon of climate solutions: Wide range of terms

So to recapitulate: My overall idea is about creating a more unified language, using ONE term only about ‘this thing’ that currently has so many names.

Just to give you an example of how many different words we throw around us when we talk about climate solutions, here’s a list of existing terms, names and phrases which are used to describe various aspects of this:

Agri-Solar Farming
Agroecology
Agroforestry
B Corp Certification
Biodiversity-Friendly Farming
Biodynamic Farming
Carbon Farming
Carbon Neutral Business
Carbon-Neutral Farming
Carbon-Positive Business
Circular Agriculture
Circular Business Models
Circular Innovation
Clean Growth Enterprise
Climate Risk Management
Climate-Aligned Business Strategy
Climate-Aware Farming Practices
Climate-Conscious Business
Climate-Friendly Practices
Climate-Positive Business
Climate-Resilient Agriculture
Climate-Resilient Business
Climate-Smart Agriculture
Closed-Loop Agriculture
Conservation Agriculture
Decarbonised Economy
Eco-Conscious Branding
Eco-Entrepreneurship
Eco-Friendly Crop Production
Eco-Friendly Irrigation
Electrify Everything
ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)
Ethical Business Practices
Fair Trade Farming
Farm-to-Table Movement
Food Sovereignty
Green Business Certification
Green Fertiliser Solutions
Green Finance
Green Leadership
Green Marketing
Green Procurement
Green Supply Chain Management
Green Workforce
Greenwashing-Free Business
Holistic Management
Impact Investing
Integrated Pest Management
Local Food Systems
Low-Carbon Business Models
Low-Impact Farming
Low-Input Farming
Nature Positive
Nature-Positive Agriculture
Nature-Positive Business
Nature-Positive Economy
Nature-Positive Investment
Nature-Positive Solutions
Net Zero Business
No-Till Farming
Organic Farming
Permaculture
Planet-Centric Business
Precision Agriculture
Regenerative Agriculture
Regenerative Business
Regenerative Grazing
Regenerative Soil Practices
Resource-Efficient Business
Responsible Capitalism
Responsible Governance
Responsible Innovation
Responsible Investment
Soil Carbon Sequestration
Soil Health Farming
Sustainability-Driven Business
Sustainable Agribusiness
Sustainable Agrochemicals
Sustainable Ag-Tech
Sustainable Animal Husbandry
Sustainable Business Practices
Sustainable Crop Rotation
Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Sustainable Farming
Sustainable Food Production
Sustainable Growth Strategy
Sustainable Innovation
Sustainable Land Management
Sustainable Land Use
Sustainable Livestock Production
Sustainable Operations
Sustainable Pastoralism
Sustainable Product Lifecycle
Sustainable Rural Development
Sustainable Sourcing
Sustainable Value Creation
The Battery Revolution
The Carbon-Free Future
The Circular Economy
The Clean Energy Shift
The Clean Energy Transition
The Clean Growth Strategy
The Clean Industrial Revolution
The Clean Transport Shift
The Climate Action Agenda
The Climate Adaptation Movement
The Climate Positive Economy
The Climate Resilience Plan
The Climate Tech Revolution
The Climate-Smart Economy
The Decarbonisation Pathway
The Decarbonised World
The Eco-Friendly Revolution
The Eco-Industrial Revolution
The Electrification Movement
The Energy Revolution
The Fossil Free Future
The Green Economy
The Green Electrification
The Green Energy Revolution
The Green Energy Transformation
The Green Finance Revolution
The Green Growth Strategy
The Green Infrastructure Revolution
The Green Innovation Revolution
The Green Manufacturing Revolution
The Green New Deal
The Green Recovery
The Green Technology Boom
The Green Urbanisation Plan
The GreenTech Revolution
The Hydrogen Economy
The Low-Carbon Society
The Nature-Based Solutions Movement
The Net Zero Future
The Net Zero World
The Real Zero World
The Regenerative Economy
The Renewable Energy Revolution
The Renewable Power Revolution
The Renewable Transition
The Solar Revolution
The Sustainability Movement
The Sustainable Development Revolution
The Sustainable Mobility Revolution
The Sustainable Revolution
The Wind Power Revolution
The Zero Emissions Movement
The Zero-Carbon Society
Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet, Profit)
Water-Efficient Farming Practices
Water-Wise Farming
Zero Waste Business
Zero-Carbon Farming

This babylon-list of green solution-oriented words highlights the wide range of terms that focus on different aspects of the same overarching goal: transitioning towards a sustainable, decarbonised, and climate-resilient future.

…and there are many more, of course.

This is just to illustrate how in our language we are quickly developing new expressions and names for things, and sometimes we find ourselves standing in different corners using different words but in reality all talking about the same thing, the same urgent issue: how do we fix the wicked and existential problems confronting humanity, such as the ecological and climate emergency.

The list also shows how fragmented our language currently is.

The Danes’ idea of unifying the language under a single term like “The Green Transition” helps bring much-needed clarity to the conversation.

There’s so much happening in the climate space, so a unified term like The Green Transition could really help cut through the noise and create cohesion.

This is what is happening up there in Denmark, on the northern side of the globe.

The global call to action on climate is ’embedded’ in that expression. But it can also just be understood as an observation: something transformative that is happening all around us – and which is inevitable.

In other words: It is not a ‘title’ for a project or a movement or anything like that. It is a name for a thing that is happening in society – a thing that society is actively coming together around making happen.

‘The green omstilling’ is not a title for an intention, a vision or an action – it is an existing wave of thousands of actions that are all happening at the same time. It funtions as if it was a distinct word for where the entire world is heading, where humanity is heading, sooner rather than later.

Can we find a similar expression / term / phrase that would work here in Australia?

NAME DISCUSSION WITH CHATGPT

What about using the expression ‘the green reset’?

I asked ChatGPT. And ChatGPT answered:

While ‘reset’ is powerful, it might imply wiping the slate clean or restarting from scratch. This could suggest that previous efforts have failed, which might not be the intended message. ‘Reset’ might be more appropriate if there is a clear need for radical reform or overhaul, but for an ongoing societal transformation like den grønne omstilling, ‘shift’ better conveys continuity and progress.

To create an impact similar to den grønne omstilling in Denmark, the green shift is a better translation for an Australian context.

Here’s why:

  1. Continuity and progress: “Shift” suggests a gradual but decisive movement towards something better. Like den grønne omstilling, it implies a structural change in how things are done, without necessarily implying that everything is being wiped clean and started over. It’s about evolving and transitioning, which matches the spirit of Denmark’s approach.
  2. Familiarity and positivity: “Shift” has been used in global sustainability discussions and carries a positive connotation of progress and momentum. It’s forward-looking, signaling the transition towards greener policies and actions without necessarily suggesting that past efforts were failures.
  3. Alignment with policy discussions: In Australia, the term “shift” is already in circulation in discussions about sustainability and energy transitions. It’s familiar and can therefore resonate more with the public and policymakers, who are already engaging with ideas of shifting towards renewable energy and sustainable practices.


Additional possibilities for a name

Which other possibilities for translation of ‘Den grønne omstilling’ would you suggest?

Here are a few additional possibilities:

The Green Pivot: Suggests a strategic, intentional shift in direction.

The Green Surge: Conveys a sense of momentum and force behind the movement.

The Green Movement: A broad and familiar term that could emphasize collective action.

The Green Evolution: Reflects the idea of gradual yet significant change.

The Green Renaissance: Taps into the idea of renewal and cultural transformation.

The Eco Revolution

The Eco Shift

The Eco Movement

The Sustainable Transformation

The Sustainable Transition

The Environmental Renewal

The Green Awakening

The Green Pathway

The Green Horizon

The Green Uprising

The Green Revival

The Green Initiative

The Green Transition

The Earthwise Transition

How would ‘the green pivot’ be understood in Australia?

In Australia, “The Green Pivot” would likely be understood as a strategic or decisive change in direction toward sustainability. The word “pivot” is often used in business, politics, and other sectors to describe a deliberate and sometimes sudden shift in focus or strategy.

Positives:

  • Clear and direct: It suggests that Australia (or society) is making a conscious, strategic shift towards greener policies and practices.
  • Action-oriented: “Pivot” implies a move from one direction to another, which could make it appealing to business leaders, policymakers, and strategists.
  • Freshness: It’s not as commonly used in sustainability discourse as terms like “shift” or “transition,” which could make it feel more innovative.

Potential downsides:

  • Less familiar in environmental contexts: While “pivot” is commonly used in business and tech, it might not resonate as strongly with the general public when applied to environmental change.
  • Less implied urgency: Unlike “shift” or “transition,” which suggest ongoing processes, “pivot” might come across as a one-time, sharp change. This could underplay the ongoing, multifaceted nature of sustainability efforts.

Overall, “The Green Pivot” could be understood as a decisive, strategic change toward sustainability in Australia, but it may not carry the same broad, inclusive meaning as “The Green Shift” or “The Green Transition.” It’s fresh and dynamic but might appeal more to business and political circles than the general population.

Back to square one: ‘The Green Transition’

Which name might work better? I noticed that there is a council in Denmark called Rådet for Den Grønne Omstilling, and they translate their name to Green Transition Denmark. Is ‘The Green Transition’ better to use than ‘The Green Shift’?

“The Green Transition” is one of the stronger contenders. It’s clear, to the point, and widely understood in policy discussions. It implies both a process of change and a destination. 

It effectively conveys the idea of moving towards more sustainable practices. 

This term is already used in international contexts, which can help Australia align with global sustainability efforts.

However, “The Green Shift” also has a certain simplicity and memorability that makes it easy for people to adopt.

“The Green Shift” is compelling due to its simplicity and ease of adoption. It implies a decisive movement towards greener policies and can resonate across different sectors of society.

Simplicity and memorability: “The Green Shift” is concise, easy to say, and doesn’t get bogged down in complex language.

Versatility: It can be used across contexts—politics, business, media—without needing additional explanation.

Existing use: “Shift” is already associated with transitions, including in renewable energy and sustainability contexts. It’s familiar but still impactful.

While “The Green Transition” is strong, “shift” feels fresher and more dynamic, aligning well with the sense of urgency in today’s climate actions.

Which name do you recommend we choose as our translation of ‘Den Grønne Omstilling’ – keeping in mind that we’d want this term to be broadly used by everyone in society?

I recommend “The Green Transition.”

Here’s why:

Clarity and understanding: “Transition” accurately reflects the meaning of “Omstilling,” which denotes a process of change or adjustment. It’s a term that most people readily understand.

Inclusivity: The term can be embraced by all segments of society—citizens, businesses, politicians, media, and academics—much like in Denmark.

Global alignment: “The Green Transition” is a phrase used internationally to discuss shifts towards sustainability, renewable energy, and environmental responsibility. This can help Australia connect its efforts with the broader global movement.

Action-oriented: It emphasises an ongoing process, encouraging continuous effort and engagement from everyone.

While “The Green Shift” is also a strong candidate due to its brevity and impact, “The Green Transition” might be more effective in conveying the comprehensive and transformative process that “Den Grønne Omstilling” represents in Denmark.

In conclusion:

Choosing “The Green Transition” as the translation for “Den Grønne Omstilling” would provide a clear, inclusive, and actionable term that could be readily adopted across Australian society, mirroring the widespread use and impact of the Danish phrase. The term The Green Transition can serve as a powerful name for the global transformation we are experiencing. Not just for Australia, but for humanity as a whole.

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The Green Omstilling in Denmark: Laws are changing

Examples:

Charging stations required: A Danish legal requirement based on an EU directive mandates that all public buildings with at least 20 parking spaces must install a charging station by 1 January 2025.

New petrol car tax: If you own a car in Denmark, you must pay a green ownership tax or weight tax, depending on the age of the car. The tax is collected by the Danish Tax Authorities in either an annual or semi-annual rate, which is determined based on the car’s fuel type, kilometres per liter, and any additional charges for a missing particulate filter or parrot plates. There is a big difference in how much you have to pay in green tax, depending on how much fuel the car consumes.

Slower traffic: 40 km/h rules are currently being tested in 16 Danish cities over the next three years.

No petrol car zone in CBD of five major Danish cities has brought pollution down with 36 per cent. In a tv news report, one resident commented on the rule: “It is a bit tough. But our health is important.”

Churches going green: Churches on the Danish island Lolland are going ahead and planting trees or will set up solar cells on the lands that belong to the parish. Around 45,000 trees have been planted at the church in Sandby on western Lolland. The parish council has decided that the land will no longer be leased for agriculture, but will instead be converted into a forest. More information in Danish language.

Folkekirkens Grønne Omstilling is a nationwide initiative with the support of the entire Danish National Church. The aim is to take the entire Danish National Church in a greener direction. The Church of Denmark has over 8,500 hectares of agricultural land. So far, around 100 hectares of this is being converted into forest.

Queen Mary and the Danish king are often referred to in media as “carrying forward The Green Omstilling as their key concern and their signature issue.”

Aarhus net zero by 2030: The City Council in Aarhus says it is leading the way by showing how to create a climate-neutral urban community. “Aarhus is one of the first cities in the world to lead the way towards net zero,” the city’s mayor is quoted as saying. A Carbon Capture and Storage project costing DKK3 billion in investment and getting polluting cars out of the city by implementing petrol-car restrictions in the CBD are main strategies to reach the goal. Parking spaces for fossil-fuelled cars will be reduced to 250 spaces. At the same time, public transport and conditions for cyclists are being improved. Some roads are being closed to traffic and replaced by parks and pedestrian areas. The City Council is implementing new regulation so that new wind turbines can be installed more quickly around the municipality, and there may also be more solar panels and new forests will be built.
Note: In Aarhus already today, half of the households don’t own a car. It is assumed that 37% of Aarhus residents will drive electric cars in 2030. More information in Danish language

In other news

Slashing emissions while boosting economy: Neighbouring country Sweden has managed to cut 80 per cent of its emissions since 1990 while doubling its economy, proving that economic growth and climate protection can go hand in hand. Read more

Nordic power prices have fallen this year due in part to a surge in wind and solar power output. Spot prices have averaged 42 euros per MegaWattHour this year, down from 56 euros last year – and 136 euros per MWh two years ago, in 2022.

Negative energy prices more common in Europe amid strong renewable production: Negative energy prices are becoming more common across Europe. The latest instance occurred in Germany on Tuesday. Prices generally slip into the red when both solar and wind generation is strong on the same day. It’s an extension of Europe’s substantial investments in green infrastructure. The continent installed a record amount of solar panels last year, to reduce its reliance on Russia’s natural gas. Read more

Musk sues Danish energy company for “boycotting X”: The Danish clean energy company Ørsted – a company that displaces significantly more fossil fuel use than Tesla – has decided not to run ads on X. So now, the climate denier Elon Musk and his social media company say they will sue Ørsted for boycotting X. They claim Ørsted and other companies have “illegally colluded to agree to a boycott” and that this “severely harms” the user experience on X.

“Everyone should be able to afford organic food.”

~ Danish supermarket chain slogan



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THINKING LIKE A MOUNTAIN – 40 Years of Deep Ecology



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Transcript of The Sustainable Hour no. 517

TRANSCRIPT:
Johan Rockström, Swedish climate scientist:
The window is rapidly closing. But there is still some light in the window.

Jingle:
The Sustainable Hour. For a green, clean, sustainable Geelong. The Sustainable Hour.

Tony Gleeson:
Welcome to The Sustainable Hour. We’d like to acknowledge that we’re broadcasting from the land of the Wadawurrung people. We pay tribute to the elders past, present, and those that earn that great honour in the future. We’re on stolen land, land that was never ceded, always was and always will be First Nations land.

We have so much to learn from the ancient wisdom that they honed from nurturing both their land and their communities for millennia before their land was stolen. And we can’t hope to have any form of climate justice without justice for First Nations people.

Mik Aidt:
On this blue planet we call Earth, we are now living through the hottest temperatures in 125,000 years. And that heat and that humidity is causing crazy levels of flood and drought and fire and storms. The scientists say that we can expect these floods and fires and storms to become even more frequent, more intense and more catastrophic in scope and scale in the time coming. And at the same time, the poles are melting. A new study predicts that the great currents of the Atlantic is going to collapse somewhere between 2040 and 2060. But some scientists even say that could happen as early as 2030. That’s six years from now. And this will have major impact on the European countries, where it’s actually going to get a lot colder to a level where it will be difficult to grow food. This is what climate scientist Johan Rockström said in a TED talk recently:

Johan Rockström, TED-talk excerpt:
There is still some window open. There is a light in the tunnel. And you may ask, What is it that makes me able to continue to be a realistic optimist in this situation? The most dire situation I must admit in my whole professional life. Well, actually, I promise this is an honest statement. There are so many positive items as well. The most important one in my mind is that we have ample evidence that citizens across the world, a majority of them, care about nature and climate. They trust climate science, they’re concerned about climate change, and they want solutions. And the second key factor is that we have so much evidence today that the solutions are not only available, but if we implement them, we get a more healthy, stable, secure future with the jobs and the economies that can compete and provide livelihoods into the future. This means, dear friends, that solving the planetary crisis is not only necessary, it is possible, and we all win if we succeed.

Mik:
The interest in sustainability and ecology and regenerative farming and so on is continuing to grow. An example of that was that when there was a workshop put up, a webinar called ‘Thinking Like a Mountain, 40 Years of Deep Ecology’. There was 350 people registering for that just a couple of weeks ago. And you can see that video, it’s put out. So we’ll put a link to that in the show notes.

That interest is also what we’re talking about here in The Sustainable Hour and we will today as well. But first we need to hear a little bit about what’s been happening around the planet. And for that we have Colin Mockett OAM who is keeping an eye on the international perspectives. What do you have for us today Colin?

COLIN MOCKETT’S GLOBAL OUTLOOK:
Hello Mik. Well I’ve been doing a bit of ‘thinking like a small hill’, I think you could call it.

My roundup this week begins in Britain, where new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan signed an agreement this week which they claim will supercharge efforts to make Britain a clean energy superpower. At the heart of the deal is a new company called ‘Great British Energy’, that will own and invest in clean power projects in regions across the UK. The company will be backed by £8.3 billion of new money from the British government.

The project’s main purpose is to deliver clean power by 2030. Prime Minister Starmer said his government had inherited an incoherent energy policy. “While the previous UK government focused on fracking and fossil fuels – opposed by most communities and incompatible with our international obligations,” he said, “We took positive action to ensure we deliver on our environmental commitments.”

He said that already his energy secretary had scrapped the previous ban on onshore wind development, approved three solar farms within days of taking office, introduced the legislation to build ‘Great British Energy’ and signed a deal with ‘The Crown Estate’ that will build more offshore wind and could leverage up to £60 billion in investment. This, along with plans to help homeowners insulate their houses cheaper, is aimed at achieving clean power throughout Britain by 2030.

Elsewhere in the UK, scientists at Oxford University have developed a revolutionary approach that could generate solar-generated electricity without solar panels.

The university said that the new approach involved coating a new power-generating material onto the surfaces of everyday objects such as rucksacks, cars, and mobile phones. “If more solar energy can be generated in this way, we can foresee less need in the longer term to use silicon panels or build more and more solar farms,” Dr Junke Wang, at Oxford’s physics department, said.

He said the university had developed an ultra-thin material capable of being stuck to any everyday object that would harness the sun’s power. The material can be applied as a coating, is far smaller than current solar panels, and is more energy efficient, meaning it can convert more of the sun’s energy. The versatility of the new ultra-thin and flexible material is also key. “At just over one micron thick, it is almost 150 times thinner than a silicon wafer,” he said.

Meanwhile in Australia the hard-right campaign group ‘Advance’ is amassing a multimillion-dollar war chest in order to dismember the Australian Greens at the next federal election. ‘Advance’ is the group that spent $10.4 million on the “No” campaign at the Voice To Parliament referendum in October 2023.
It launched a series of high-profile ads and social media campaigns that smeared the ‘yes’ voters and trumpeted the ‘If you don’t know, vote no’ slogan. Nobody knows who funds the group, except for describing its donors as ‘high profile businesses.’

Its affiliate group, Australians for Unity, spent $11.8 million on the ‘no campaign, meaning that the right-wing wreckers spent $22.2 million in total to wreck the referendum.

Now they’re joining again in order to wreck the Green Party at the next election. Describing the Greens as ‘the single biggest threat to freedom, security and prosperity in Australia’, ‘Advance’ executive director Matthew Sheahan told supporters he wants to shrink the Greens’ share of the national senate vote. He said ‘Advance’s’ strategy would target mostly women voters and be focused on people aged between 33 and 49.

Meanwhile, the international research Bloomberg New Energy Finance this week warned that Australia was unlikely to meet its commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 unless the federal government substantially lifts its commitment. Its report used stronger words than that. It called for the Albanese government to ‘supercharge the amount of renewable power in the grid by the end of this decade.

“Research published this week calculates the share of wind, solar and hydropower in the electricity grid needs to more than double to 87 per cent by 2030 for the country to reach its net zero goal,” Bloomberg head of Australian research, Leonard Quong said. “That is significantly higher than the government’s current target of 82 per cent renewables by 2030, which already risks slipping out of reach due to a slowdown in green investments and delays to key infrastructure needed to connect wind and solar regions to the grid. “The window for achieving net zero by 2050 is rapidly closing,” he said. “The country needs to double down and accelerate its decarbonisation efforts in the next decade, starting immediately, or it risks missing its climate goals.”

And that stark warning ends our roundup for this week.

Tony:
Thanks for that, Colin. As always, lots of fascinating news there. Now, Mik, your reference to the Atlantic overturning circulation phenomenon that’s predicted to happen. There was a film made a while back, probably over a decade ago called ‘The Day After’. It’s based on what scientists have said since that they see that as being very non-fictional, like that could easily happen and it’s worth having a look at that. It’s not a pleasant time, it’s just everything in England gets frozen, more frozen than normal.

Colin:
Yeah, think if people get a bit of a sense, it won’t be like you hear Atlantic overturning circulation, that doesn’t mean much, but if you associate it with this film and watch it, it means a whole lot more because it’s certainly not a pleasant time for people. No, tying it into the news from the UK of the new impetus using Wales, Wales has got an Atlantic coast. And it’s also got, it really illustrates just how important the Atlantic is, because you’ve got things like the Gulf Stream, which lands in South Wales. So South Wales is has got really warm beaches in South Wales, whereas North Wales has got vicious winds that bypass Ireland and goes, that’s the first bit where the Atlantic winds hit Snowdonia, which is very well named, you know. So it’s a very good idea to use the facilities that are in Wales and it does show just how important the weather that comes from the Atlantic is and we’re mucking about with it at the moment. Yeah, intensifying it.

Tony:
Now Mik, let’s have a chat about how your trip home has been. What have you been up to in Denmark? That you can tell us anyway.

Mik:
Well, first of all, I guess I’ve just been keeping my ears and eyes open and taking in whatever I met, you know, the neighbours I would be talking to or the TV that I would be watching and so on, just to get a feel of what’s happening here in the community. And I must say it’s been giving me some food for thought when we talk about how we create change and how we create change fast. Because it seems like in Australia, always sort of, we’re seeing these groups in society and they keep in a way, waiting for each other. There’s the politicians, they could take action, but they’re not until the community is fully on board. There’s the media and they could take action, but they’re not. And then there’s the business community or the corporate sector and they could take action. But again, everyone seems to a little bit be waiting for the others to come on board and it’s not happening. The action is not there and certainly not to the level as I’m seeing it here in Denmark.

And I think what maybe it is just a theory, but maybe what has made things move faster in Denmark is that it’s actually the business community that’s come on board. Certainly when I open tv you know, have the tv ads and so on… It feels like every second ad is an ad for something with sustainability or climate or EVs and solar panels and so on. One ad that comes into your face almost, you know, every 15 minutes on one of the channels says ‘Sustainability is the condition for our future.’ So you hear that line mentioned again and again and again and it’s not coming from the government, it’s coming from a consultancy firm that’s trying to sell its business. Sustainability is the condition for our future…

Colin:
What is the business, mate? Just a matter of interest?

Mik:
I can’t remember even which of the big companies, PwC or Deloitte? One of these big consultancy firms. Another one illustrates how change was difficult when the horse wagons were taken over by automobiles a hundred years ago or more. And it illustrates that by saying ‘Change is difficult.’ And then comes the point, ‘But it’s necessary.’ And then that’s an ad for an electric car company.

The narrative and the slogans that you hear in the advertising has completely changed. I’m not saying that’s the only thing that’s pushing the change forward, but it certainly makes a big difference. The other big difference is that the public broadcasters here, the equivalent to ABC and SBS, really have taken on reporting on climate news. And climate news, both in terms of the bad things that are going on, explaining that with scientists, but also the good things that are happening in terms of climate action, where you get the news about the latest findings of this or that technological development or a new trend in Germany that they are putting up solar panels on balconies and that’s becoming very, very popular in Germany and so on.

So there’s solution-oriented news in the mainstream news in Denmark. And I think that makes a big difference too. The big problem here is that climate change was politicised maybe 20 odd years ago, and it’s now degenerated down into two camps, those for it and those against it, whereas in Denmark, everybody is for it. Well, there’s certainly something about a cultural shift, because I think everyone here is agreeing on that it’s not like an easy shift. People are saying, and they’re being interviewed on tv and I hear them say, ‘This is going to be tough.’ But then there comes the second word, ‘but it’s necessary’.

Colin:
Have the fossil fuel companies as much power there as they have here?

Mik:
In one way, they certainly have a lot of money and they are around, but they are like in Australia, they’re international companies. They’re not sort of Danish companies, and they’re drilling for… especially for oil in the North Sea. But the government has made it clear that that’s going to stop. They’ve actually, as one of the few countries, made a stop date on when there would be no more oil taking up from the North Sea, even though there’s more oil down there.

So to answer your question, I’m not sure how much influence the fossil fuel industry has in Denmark, but they’ve certainly been put ‘outside the room’ where decisions are made. They’re ‘out in the corridor’, as you mentioned last week, Colin, in reference to that new book.

Colin:
Is it noticeable that the change has come from Russian gas, which was the main source of power right the way through to the early decade of this century. Now it’s no more at all, is it?

Mik:
It’s completely stopped. That’s very noticeable, of course, because now people associate the so-called natural gas with Putin. And no one is interested in supporting Putin around here. Actually, people are really afraid of war. You can hear war airplanes in the air, you know, coming over the houses and you have, there’s even a warning to the general population that they have to have stocks in house for three days of food and three days of water in case something should happen. And when you get to that point where people are told to gather food and water to be prepared for a three day out of electricity and out of water, then you begin to sense, okay, there’s a war around the corner. The warplanes you’re hearing, are they Danish or German or Ukraine or Russian? What are they? I’m assuming they’re Danes who are practicing, you know, getting ready. hey, I’ve put together, I’ve met a few people, actually more or less randomly. So I put together a little collage here about so you can hear some of the impressions that I’ve been getting a little bit sort of like a postcard from Denmark for you and for our listeners in Geelong and around in Australia.

DANISH SONG
Jonas Dueholm & Ida Wenøe: “Det regner med muligheder” (Denmark’s climate song)

Mik:
‘Det regner med muligheder.’ It’s raining with possibilities. That’s the title of a song which was declared ‘Denmark’s Climate Song’ last year. And just to give you an impression of what they’re singing about, here’s the lyrics:

It’s raining
With possibilities
Hide behind your umbrella
Or lean into the storm now, with your chest against the new!
We can live our whole lives
Without really wanting to see
Each other

It’s bursting
From data sources
And from layers of permafrost
But it seems we still have something to solve between us?
We have plenty of evidence
We just need to unite
And take action

It’s rumbling
In the forests of the mind
When a habit burns down
Up from the ashes sprout shoots of a new curiosity
Can we turn off the growth machine
Shut down the hamster wheel?
And plant?

It’s bleeding
In shades of light
In decades of sunset
All the red shouts to you: You can love the morning forward!
We can own the whole world
But must follow the dream of
Another

Mik:
The song, which was sung and performed by Jonas Duholm and Ida Vene was chosen to be Denmark’s climate song last year. It was the winning song in a competition which was organised by the Danish Library Association.

I have been in Denmark for some weeks now and have been walking through the cities and talking with people and so on and I’ve been wondering what is it that makes Denmark so different in its attitude, its response to the climate crisis. Everyone here seems to be talking about what they call ‘Den Grønne Omstilling’ – The Green Transition. And I’ve come to understand that this is actually much more than just a catchphrase. The Green Transition – it is reflection of a mindset, a collective mindset here in Denmark, a shared direction that really permeates into the society. And I think it’s not just the phrase, but it’s what it means for this country’s ability to be able to create change fast.

It’s such a contrast to this very divisive rhetoric that we hear flourishing in Australia all the time, where discussions about environment and climate and policy and so on devolve into bitter disputes and name calling and attempts to score some points in the politics, whereas there’s no common language, not yet, in Australia for a shared vision. And I think that’s what this, The Green Transition, Den Grønne Omstilling, has created for Denmark a sort of a unifying expression that this is something that can’t be avoided, this is something that’s happening and more or less, whether you agree with it or not, it’s something you just have to accept. Den Grønne Omstilling is like a signal that society is not going to just be talking about change, but actively working to make it happen.

When you follow the news in the media and you talk with people, you find that it’s as if the Danes have collectively agreed that the Grønne Omstilling is the path forward.

And hang on there, because I think also there’s a point to make about language itself, because Den Grønne Omstilling being translated to ‘The Green Transition’ is actually a lazy, little bit slack way of translating it. It doesn’t capture the full meaning of Den Grønne Omstilling. This word ‘transition’ suggests some sort of a passive, gradual shift, a slow transition, something that happens over time without very much, really, very much direct intervention.

Whereas the Danish word ‘omstilling’ – that’s actually a very different word. It implies a conscious, deliberate reorientation or a recalibration of the system, of the structures and even a way of thinking. So it’s not just about slowly changing the direction. It’s about actively going in and reshaping the landscape. So when you hear Danes talk about Den Grønne Omstilling, they’re not just envisioning some future that’s greener somewhere in the future and it will happen slowly. They’re actually committing to that and Omstilling is a thing that requires hard work of getting there and we need to do it together.

And I think perhaps that’s the real lesson here that in a world which is so often also in America we’re here with Trump and all this divided by rhetoric. Denmark offers a glimpse of what could happen when the society as a whole begins to come together around a common purpose with a language that not only reflects but also drives collective action or at least a new level of collective action because I think also my story here needs to be taken with a little grain of salt because in honesty the Danes are not always behaving as green as they say they are or as they think they are especially for instance when it comes to things like flying the Danes are still flying even more than ever and the airports are as busy as ever but

Still, think there’s something here for us in the sustainable hour and for our listeners to have a reflection on, you know, what would the Australian equivalent of this expression, den grønne omstilling be? Which expression could bring us as Australians closer together if we had a language and just one word that we all agreed on, that that’s what’s happening and this is what we’re doing. And it’s an active recalibration or a shift or a conversion or something. So what should be the words? The Green Conversion? The Green Shift? The Treen Recalibration? [Or simply: The Green Omstilling? Like Australia already has adopted the Danish word ‘Ombudsman’], I don’t know. But I think personally that’s something where Denmark has given me some food for thought as they say.

But also I think it’s impressive there’s a lot of things going on at the ground level where you see people making changes and collectively again. Like the churches, the way the churches are beginning to plant trees and create forests and whole parishes have decided that the land that they own should no longer be leased for agriculture but it should be converted into a forest. The Church of Denmark has an official goal to become much greener and the forest

Planting new forests and putting up solar cells play a big part in that. It’s still just in the beginning. The Church of Denmark has over 8,500 hectares of agricultural land. And so far, they’ve only converted about 100 hectares of this into forest. But from what I see, this is something that’s spreading and more and more priests and people in the religious world are taking it up and talking also in the churches about making a difference for plants, for animals, and for the Earth.

On the national tv, the equivalent to ABC, which is called DR in Denmark, every Monday there’s a show called The Earth is Calling, which is a weekly show dedicated only to climate science and climate action. And both the public broadcasters DR and TV2, equivalent to ABC and SBS, have made this decision that they’re putting climate change informed reports into their weather reports.

So you’ll see a report where they begin talking about what’s happening in the weather next week and so on. And then there’ll be a report about what’s happening at the broader scale with the temperatures in Europe or out in the Atlantic Sea and so on. And then also they begin to talk about solutions, things that people are doing to solve the climate crisis. And I think this is really inspiring to see

The Danish public broadcasters have finally done what some of us have been talking about for 10 years that should be happening and it should be happening just as well in Australia. At least now it’s happening in Denmark and not just in Denmark actually, also in France. I’ve heard that the French public broadcaster France Télévision has taken this up bringing the weather and the climate together in one report in the news every night on TV to the mainstream, to the population.

Climate change informed weather reports. That’s really something I believe makes a difference. Also in the advertising that you see on TV, you hear these slogans coming up all the time. Sustainability is the condition for our future. There’s one ad that’s saying, another one, change is difficult but necessary.

Fossil cars don’t belong in the green transition. And hey, that’s not Greenpeace or somebody saying that, that’s a company that’s selling electric cars. Another one saying, they show accountability and responsibility and so on. And that’s an ad for a bank. Since when did we hear an Australian bank have an advertisement for accountability and responsibility? Well, that’s true. We have Bank Australia, luckily, but what about the four big banks in Australia? Where are they? Where is their responsibility? Where is their accountability when it comes to climate?

Climate reality is really beginning to hurt here in Northern Europe and I think of course that’s an important factor just as well. Flash floodings are happening more frequently, cars getting caught in the water and all the rest. And last year set new records nationally in Denmark, experiencing the highest temperatures and the wettest months and so on. The ground is soaked with water and the water table is high.

And last year there was a historic storm in October where the water levels went up like more than two meters above the normal. And this of course has created a lot of damage around and people are hurting. Authorities are warning right now that there’s again another possibility of catastrophic flooding in the next month. Again, because the water table stands more than half a meter higher than normal because the soil is saturated with water.

One of the biggest energy companies in Denmark is called Ørsted, and they have made this transition. They’ve become a clean energy company, but they used to be a fossil fuel company, and they’re actually displacing significantly more fossil fuels even than a company like Tesla.

And it’s interesting that they have decided just recently to discontinue their running ads on X – X formerly known as Twitter. So apparently this has made Mr. Musk very upset and he’s now suing Ørsted for what he terms ‘boycotting X’.

I think it’s the right thing to do – the way Musk is talking and behaving at the moment. I think we all need to boycott X, but that’s a different story I guess. What’s more interesting talking about in Europe is that negative energy prices here have become more common than ever.

Just last week we heard again from Germany that the prices have gone below zero last Tuesday. And what that means is that when there’s so much solar and wind generation at the same time, then prices slip underneath the zero, which means that you’re actually being paid to use electricity. That’s not actually what’s happening because it doesn’t reach the consumers. They are not getting money back. But it’s interesting that we’re coming to this point more and more frequently in Northern Europe that free energy is a real thing. There’s more free energy from renewables than ever before.

And just to round off this little report from Denmark with more coming because I have done some interviews and so on. Here’s a little quote from the Danish prime minister who said,

‘The most powerful vision of capitalism was expressed by John F. Kennedy when he said that the tide lifts all boats. However, especially in the United States, indeed in much of the Western world, the truth in recent years has been that the tide has been content to lift the biggest boats. Capitalism has become sick. It’s not due to luck that Denmark is now one of the richest and most equal and most secure societies on earth. It’s only the result of political choices, of a social contract. In Denmark we have tried to extract the best aspects of capitalism’s enterprise and profits while regulating the greediest and most harmful aspects. The gains have been sought to be distributed more fairly and reinvested in a strong community, while the destructive sides have been limited,’ said Mette Frederiksen, who is the Danish Prime Minister.

And I think that statement sums up in a way what I would like to, the message that I would like to bring with me home from Denmark, which is that, folks, we need to work on how we can better regulate the greediest and the most harmful aspects capitalism and how we can come together and create a strong community where the destructive sides of capitalism have been limited.

As I was traveling through the country, I stopped in a small countryside village and met, surprise surprise, an Australian, John Shone, who we have interviewed in the sustainable hour previously. I was like, wow, what are you doing here? And in short, here’s John’s explanation what he’s doing in Denmark at this point:

John Shone:
We’re standing on one of Denmark’s preeminent biodynamic farms. It’s a sixth generation farm and it’s linked with other farms that are as much as 10 generations in the same family ownership. And most of these farmers of that vintage do not have a succession plan. And so, you know, the quality of the foods, the depth of knowledge, the wisdom just has to be retained. And there’s just some amazing activism amongst these 60 plus year old farmers to say, in spite of our children, not wishing to be on the farm. They wish to support in other ways other young people and elders and in-betweeners being part of keeping this tradition going through a cooperative farm. And personally, I came here without wanting to do this. I came here in winter to enjoy a northern winter for the first time and in six weeks we’ve formed relationships that I’ve spent 50 years in Australia campaigning for. So six weeks, 50 years, I’m here. Not leaving Australia, but I’m here.

We’re campaigning for nature as health, that citizens in the big cities of Denmark, particularly Copenhagen, which we’re only an hour and a half drive from, or two hours on public transport, that they can have equity in restoring Denmark to pre-industrial agrarian times with the cooperation that’s very much part of Denmark’s tradition. In fact, it goes back to Viking times of people forming close-knit communities, multiple families, being very close to nature, very close to the soils and the sea, and bringing that back with the support of advanced technology and the knowledge that human biome and soil biome are very much linked. And so it’s about saying, come and put your body and your soul into the dirt and hold hands as a village again.

Mik:
John Shone has been working on a project called Food Village, which is about taking control of our food system and making a positive impact on climate and living costs and health and so on. But now his thinking is more like changing the name to either Nature Village or something with nature and health because the project in Denmark is turning more and more in that direction. Thinking and talking and taking action on things that relate to nature and to health.

John Schone introduced me to one of the people who he is working with together with here in Denmark. Her name is Sinnet Bødewadt and she’s a businesswoman who’s worked with IKEA – a decade ago she was helping them give birth to their first sustainability strategies and today she’s head of something called Nature Plus. She calls herself an ‘Earth’s ally’ and a storyteller. And speaking of storytelling, I asked her about this idea I had about the green transition narrative in Denmark and the importance of that and what her thoughts were when it comes to which narrative it actually is that’s making way and breaking new waves in Denmark today.

Sinnet Bødewadt:
I think we see two types of approach. see your top-down approach. In the media part, it’s a little bit fear-mongering. And you also have the over-control, disempowerment, which makes people passive. So that part is a concern because if you have a rapid change and are unable to change as a person, you have to free yourself from your fear-mongering part.

But what I also see, which is really cool, is that actually the government and the EU is supporting networks and also see this ground movement coming up. For example, some young people do regenerative schools now and stuff like that. in the network, talking with universities, startups, governments and so on, have this meeting room where you can discuss and disagree and you can see new ideas and connections coming up. And they’re actually very good in that. So I found that that is a very strong backbone of the Danish society. And that means that even though you have some narrative, which is in the media, very strong fear mongering, you actually in the networking see a change for a more a positive way where you actually move a lot. For the farming side, can actually see the farmers want to move a lot, but in the media side, they are being seen as a bad guy, but underground and in the networking and what they’re doing, they actually want to improve a lot. That is stronger than the fear mongering, as I said, on a long term. And that fits into the Danish culture of meeting and discussing without killing each other and stuff like that. So that is a very strong part of the Danish culture.

Mik:
I was born in the second largest city in Denmark called Aarhus – six decades ago. And the city council of Aarhus actually decided more than a decade ago that they were going to be carbon neutral by 2030. And it now says it’s leading the way by showing how to create a climate neutral urban community and making Aarhus one of the first cities in the world to lead the way towards net zero.

What I also found out when I came to Aarhus to see my parents was that one of the key people working with this climate neutral urban community transition in the municipality is Tine Lindhardt. She’s the project manager and she also happens to be someone who grew up in the same street where I grew up and we have been playmates and and known each other since we were, I don’t know, five or eight years old. So I had just a brief chat over a coffee where we talked about how is Aarhus really going to make this happen and what are the key strategies in terms of making Aarhus a carbon neutral community in only six years from now.

Tine Lindhardt:
My name is Tine. I’m an architect by education and I work at the office in Aarhus. And I’m working with this ambitious plan about making all whose carbon neutral in 2030. And what I’m exactly is doing, I’m making the plans for making it available to make it possible to create a CCS carbon capture. That’s a building we’re supposed to collect all the carbon. So we get all this out of the air and that’s the the main focus for Aarhus to make this neutral in 2030. And I believe it is possible. We have two things in Aarhus. We have this CCS and then we have this mobility plan which to get the cars out of the city, to get the carbon down. There is two parts. There’s this big CCS and then there’s the cars out of the city. And I believe it is possible because it’s a very ambitious plan and they’re doing it. And it’s very… It’s going to be decided in half a year. And then they’re going to build it and it’s going to be finished in 2027, I guess. It puts Aarhus in the same league as Copenhagen. We have two big cities in Denmark, Aarhus and Copenhagen. And we have at the moment three of these CCS, which is on the paper. And I think it’s going to be the main cause for bringing down the carbon.

Mik:
This historic climate agreement that the municipality put in place also means that Aarhus will be seeing more wind turbines and solar panels in the years coming. The people of Aarhus will see more renewable energy such as solar cells on the roofs and more wind turbines and more natural and production forests, less CO2 polluting lowland soils and more recycling, says the mayor of Aarhus.

Even without any action from the municipality, the prediction is that four out of 10 car drivers will be driving electric in six years from now. And once the heating system with the hot water that circulated from house to house gets to be carbon neutral. That will actually make 95 per cent of all the houses carbon neutral as far as heating in the winter is concerned. But as they write on the homepage and are saying in interviews in the media, ‘in Aarhus, all citizens, residents and companies must be involved in finding solutions.’

But Aarhus Municipality has promised that it ‘wants to make it easier for businesses and for citizens to do the right thing, to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem. It must be a joint effort, they write, a common handshake that we want to make a difference and be part of the solution.’

Harrison Ford:
We need nature. If we are to survive on this planet, the only home any of us will ever know, for our climate, for our security, for our future.

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Mik:
I have been talking now for the last 20 minutes or so about the Danish landscape, but I would also like to mention that there’s an interesting event coming up at Springdale Neighbourhood Centre in Drysdale about our ancient Australian landscape. It’s an event about water and about the blueprint of our ancient Australian landscape for abundant life and to restore a safe climate.

If you’ve just bought land and you want to know how to set it up sustainably, or maybe you want to design your urban garden to harvest and manage water flows, or if you’re interested in land-based strategies to restore a safe climate, or you are someone who grows trees and wants to restore the fertility of your property quickly and efficiently, then here’s an invitation from the Springdale Neighborhood Center to join.

Adrian Drew, who is a key contributor, designer and practitioner from the Australian Landscape Science Institute. He’s on a journey of down-to-earth discovery, clarity and inspiration as he explains what restoring the blueprint of our ancient Australian landscape means and what it can do for us in realising an abundant future for ourselves and for future generations.

It’s a three hour event and there’ll also be a live demonstration happening just outside the neighborhood centre. So all this is happening here on Saturday, August the 31st. It starts at 10am and it runs until 1pm. There’ll be snacks and beverages available and you can book by calling on 0439 390 557.

This event is part of a series of six events that are run by Transition Streets Geelong. It’s a project supported by the City of Greater Geelong through its Environment and Sustainability Program. You can find more information about it at the humanitix.com website. The title, again, was ‘Using the Blueprint of Our Ancient Australian Landscape for Abundant Life and to Restore a Safe Climate’.

Jingle

Mik:
That’s all we could fit in this particular very sort of Danish-influenced episode of The Sustainable Hour. Thank you very much.

Colin:
Thank you, Mik. You’ve left us with so much food for thought and I’m sure it’s going to colour us next week as well. It’s been great. It’s been really an interesting episode.

Mik:
And I would like to end the Hour, or round the hour off as we always do, not by saying be the difference, but actually by taking up what we ended the previous sustainable hour with which was to say be honest, because I really think that rings a bell when you talk about the difference between Denmark and Australia, that the news that you get here are not fake news. They’re actually news from scientists. And I think a lot begins with that we are being honest about what’s going on with our planet and that this spreads out in the population as a whole. So be honest, I think we begin there.

Tony:
Truth-telling is a must. It’s essential. And it’s not to scare people. Like it’s not protecting people if we don’t hear the truth. But it’s then at the same while, let’s face it together.

Mik:
Yeah, exactly. Be honest and work together.

DANISH SONG
Jonas Dueholm & Ida Wenøe: “Det regner med muligheder”
(Denmark’s climate song)

Johan Rockström, TED-talk:
The science is clear. The window is rapidly closing. But there is still some light in the window. We actually have evidence that we’ve reached a pivotal point, not only in terms of risk, but also in terms of opportunity to transform the world towards a safe and just future for humanity. Linear change is no longer an option. The only option is exponential change. We know that the only currency that matters is speed and scale. We also need to become stewards of the entire planet.

We need to now recognise from local to global level that we’re all so intertwined that we must govern the entire planet. I know that is very daunting. But what choice do we have when on the line is the future of our children on planet Earth? And we have the solutions. We know that solving the planet crisis is not utopia. It’s not fantasy. We have the solutions for a secure, stable future for humanity.

What are those transformations? Well, we know them. It’s a rapid transition away from fossil fuels. It is a transition towards circular business models. It is transitioning towards healthy diets from sustainable food systems. And it’s not only halting loss of nature, it’s also scaling the regeneration and restoration of marine systems, soils, forests, and wetlands. We have solutions for all of these. Just take green energy, which today is cheaper than fossil fuel-based energy. It’s our choice that we’re facing today.



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Events we have talked about in The Sustainable Hour

Events in Victoria

The following is a collation of Victorian climate change events, activities, seminars, exhibitions, meetings and protests. Most are free, many ask for RSVP (which lets the organising group know how many to expect), some ask for donations to cover expenses, and a few require registration and fees. This calendar is provided as a free service by volunteers of the Victorian Climate Action Network. Information is as accurate as possible, but changes may occur.

Petitions

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List of running petitions where we encourage you to add your name

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One comment

  1. Hep!

    Inspiring podcast once again.

    Also Colin’s international news is always served with commitment so that you want to listen.

    In Denmark, most people want to see themselves as someone who cares about the environment, climate, nature, etc. and these topics are high on the agenda in the media, in the political debate, etc. but when it comes to action, we are generally in the 4th division in this field.

    We consume approximately 4 times the Earth’s resources and especially the consumption of non-quota goods and unsustainable products of all kinds imported from China, Asia etc. is alarmingly high.

    In this way, we are in reality around 4th from the bottom among the world’s countries when it comes to the Danes’ impact on the climate and environment per capita, despite politicians and others wanting to paint a somewhat false picture that we are some kind of climate dodgers or frontrunners in terms of the impact on the planet’s resources.

    We are not, even though we have the intellectual, technological, infrastructural and economic muscle to be a pioneer country with minimal impact on climate, nature and the marine environment. But that’s not where we are at all, despite all the toasts and advertising nonsense.

    We were and are a pioneering country in one respect, and we continue to be – although only marginally in terms of ecology, where we were first with the red Ø label – (Ø for Økologisk, meaning Organic):

    https://issuu.com/okologidk/docs/markedsrapport_2024_-_enkeltsider

    Fortunately, many of us transport ourselves by bicycle, which is pollution-free and healthy – but that doesn’t change the fact that the transport sector accounts for about 25% of our total CO2 emissions, corresponding to about 45 million tonnes for all modes of transport, while passenger transport via private cars accounts for the majority.

    We had 2.83 million passenger cars in Denmark as of 1 January 2024 – these are just as polluting as they were 30 years ago despite improved engines and energy efficiency – and around 72% of these are expected to still be driving around on the roads in 2030.

    The proportion of new electric cars sold has increased recently, but the trees don’t grow into the sky here, as they also impact the climate and environment if you include the entire production, energy and raw material chain via a more accurate life cycle analysis (LCA and C2G).

    Sure – in Copenhagen and other major cities we have public transport in the form of metro, buses, trains, etc. but if you live just outside the capital and major cities, public transport is so poor and time-consuming that only the poorest people who cannot afford to buy a car are forced to use public transport further out in the countryside and in peripheral Denmark.

    The green transition is moving at a snail’s pace in virtually all sectors to the point where it is not even remotely possible to achieve the climate goals, and it is not clear that it is the citizens, politicians, municipalities, companies or financial institutions that are holding back – but from the political level, things are moving too slowly in all cases and there is a complex bureaucratic obstacle course, complex regulations, citizen resistance, conflicts of interest that make the green transition a slow desert walk where good resources and good will are wasted in the sand along the way while motorway projects and other infrastructure worth billions continue to be launched that are certainly not climate-friendly or in any way promote nature and biodiversity.

    We have a relatively high share of cheap CO2-free wind energy, but we also have the highest taxes on electricity consumption, which does not promote the increase and roll-out of electricity produced via renewable energy where it takes a very short time to produce X number of onshore and/or offshore wind turbines to increase the share of renewable energy and the overall expansion of electrification for electric cars, industry, heating etc.

    In the cities there are restrictions on installing otherwise efficient solar panels on apartment blocks and public buildings, while parts of the rural population do not want wind turbines in their field of vision neither on land nor at sea, resulting in slow expansion and costly / socio-economic losses.

    The latest revised official dietary guidelines take climate change into account with recommendations to eat more vegetarian and green food and thereby generally reduce meat consumption. Some public institutions are implementing more vegetarianism, less food waste and other good initiatives, and some young people are eating more vegetarian and/or climate-friendly food – but overall, Danes eat an incredible amount of meat, preferably of the least industrial and most polluting kind.

    As mentioned, there is a relatively good focus on climate, nature and the environment in the media, but whether or not it makes any difference to people’s lifestyles and habits is an open question or, if so, to a limited extent – also as long as CO2 taxes and other taxes are not implemented that would compensate for the real impacts.

    When you constantly see adverts where sustainability, climate and nature are keywords that really are a must if you want to sell a product, it’s quite tiring to watch because it’s mainly the biggest culprits that stage their products through ‘greenwashing’. ARLA is the worst, H&M and most major manufacturers promise more than they can deliver and are the opposite of sustainable and climate-friendly.

    EU legislation is now being implemented so that all companies gradually over the coming years via the ‘Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive’ must report on ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) in connection with their financial statements. This is why PWC and other major players are currently marketing their capabilities and services to companies in this field. This is because they sell auditing services, consultancy, etc. but not because anyone has become more sustainable on their own, even though everyone is talking about climate and the environment without really doing anything decisive about it on a large scale.

    The pension funds that hold thousands of billions could make a decisive difference in the green transition, a bit like the Norwegian oil fund, but they are also a bit slow to change habits and really get out of the starting blocks.

    It’s fine that we should help them in Africa and elsewhere regarding sustainability, climate etc. but they only emit a minimal fraction of what we do but feel the consequences of CO2 emissions from us and other rich countries with exorbitant emission levels and further burdensome overconsumption via imports from Asia etc.

    In Senegal, they are almost 20 million people and emit about 9 million tonnes of CO2 in total, while they are well underway with the expansion of renewable energy, which currently accounts for approximately 1/3 of total electricity consumption, while they are also working towards climate neutrality further ahead.

    Well, enough commentary and perspectives for now.

    E-)

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