Domestic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions make up less than quarter of the country’s overall reduction

The government’s reliance on foreign projects help it achieve its greenhouse gas emission goals is facing criticism from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The Kyoto Protocol calls for a 21 percent decrease on 1990 emissions levels by 2012. Annually, Denmark should reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 54.8 million tonnes, according to the guidelines.

In 2008 Denmark’s total carbon dioxide release totalled 66 million tonnes, down from the 71 million tonnes it released in 2007.

But according to a new report from the National Environmental Research Institute indicates that only 4 percent of the decline in its total greenhouse gas emissions will come from reduced domestic emissions. The remaining 17 percent will come from absorption by the Earth, climate projects abroad, and by buying and selling quotas on the European Union market.

‘It’s pretty pathetic,’ said John Nordbo, programme leader for WWF. ‘Denmark has some of the highest carbon dioxide emissions rate per person in Europe.’

According to the government’s strategy, it must invest 500 million kroner in foreign climate projects in order to offset to meet its emissions goals.

Numerous reports from the European Environmental Agency have also indicated that Denmark has not lived up to the Kyoto criteria.

Nordbo said that global carbon dioxide emissions were increasing by 3.5 percent annually. He added that studies indicate that a reduction of 80 percent was necessary by 2050 to avoid a catastrophic temperature increase.