Speech by Deputy Ambassador of Denmark to South Africa, Mr. Søren Asp Mikkelsen

In a speech delivered at a conference in Pretoria, Deputy Ambassador Søren Asp Mikkelsen discusses the necessity of a new international climate regime to replace the Kyoto Protocol, emphasizing the need for inclusive emission reductions and financial support for least developed countries. He highlights the 'Danish Wind Case' to demonstrate how legislative changes—such as feed-in tariffs and carbon taxes—can decouple economic growth from energy consumption and create a competitive export industry in renewable technology.

• The Kyoto Protocol is considered an important first step but is limited because major emitters like the USA are not parties, and emerging economies such as China, India, and South Africa did not accept binding CO2 emission reductions.
• A successful agreement at COP15 must address four essential pillars: binding CO2 reductions by industrialized nations, limited emission growth in emerging economies, financial assistance for the least developed countries, and a managed institutional architecture for fund flows.
• Denmark's transition to a wind energy leader demonstrates that green growth is possible; between 1980 and 2004, Denmark's economy grew by more than 64 percent in fixed prices while energy consumption increased by only four percent.
• Denmark's success in wind power was driven by specific legislative frameworks, including the opening of the market to Independent Power Producers (IPPs), the implementation of feed-in tariffs, guaranteed grid access, and a general carbon tax on all energy forms.
• Wind power provides approximately 20% of Denmark's electricity supply and the wind industry contributes more than 6.5% of the country's total export earnings, employing nearly 30,000 people.

APA

Mikkelsen, S. A. (2009). Speech by Deputy Ambassador of Denmark to South Africa, Mr. Søren Asp Mikkelsen. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dttp_cnf_mikkelsen_speech.pdf

Chicago

Mikkelsen, Søren Asp. Speech by Deputy Ambassador of Denmark to South Africa, Mr. Søren Asp Mikkelsen. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2009. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dttp_cnf_mikkelsen_speech.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Mikkelsen |first1=Søren Asp |title=Speech by Deputy Ambassador of Denmark to South Africa, Mr. Søren Asp Mikkelsen |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=26 October 2009 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dttp_cnf_mikkelsen_speech.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{mikkelsen2009speech, author = {Mikkelsen, Søren Asp}, title = {{Speech by Deputy Ambassador of Denmark to South Africa, Mr. Søren Asp Mikkelsen}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2009}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dttp_cnf_mikkelsen_speech.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }