Restoring nature by taxing emissions

In 2024 the Danish government officially announced a new scheme that will tax carbon emissions and use the money raised to restore nature. Some agricultural lands will also be taken out of productive use, creating far more space for nature and allowing previously-drained heaths, meadows, river valleys and bogs to recover.

Denmark is the first country in the world to introduce such a scheme. Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in Denmark had failed to reduce for several years and this new scheme is expected to drive down emissions, helping Denmark to achieve its ambition to be climate neutral by 2045.

The tax will be introduced in 2030. Learn more about this ambition national scheme at Carbon Brief.