Speech by Ambassador Dan E

A speech delivered by Søren Asp Mikkelsen, Deputy Ambassador of Denmark to South Africa, on October 26, 2009, discussing the objectives of the upcoming COP15 climate conference in Copenhagen and Denmark's experience with green growth through wind energy.

• The COP15 conference, hosted by the Danish Government in Copenhagen from December 7-18, 2009, aims to establish a new climate regime to replace the Kyoto Protocol by 2012. The speaker identifies four essential components for a successful agreement: binding CO2 emission reductions for industrialized countries, limited emission growth for emerging economies (specifically mentioning China, India, and South Africa), financial assistance for the least developed countries, and an institutional architecture to manage the flow of funds.
• The process leading to COP15 consists of two tracks: 'track one' involves ongoing negotiations by officials and ministers (with meetings in Bangkok and Barcelona), while 'track two' is an accelerated political process involving heads of state to reach common positions on political essentials.
• Denmark provides a model for 'green growth' through its transition from 99% dependence on foreign energy in 1970 to becoming a net exporter of oil, natural gas, and electricity. As of the speech date, wind power accounts for approximately 20% of Denmark's electricity supply, and the wind industry contributes over 6.5% of the country's total export earnings and employs nearly 30,000 people. Between 1980 and 2004, Denmark's economy grew by more than 64% in fixed prices while energy consumption increased by only four percent.
• Denmark's success in wind energy was driven by specific legislative changes: opening the market to Independent Power Producers (IPPs), implementing a feed-in tariff for renewable energy, guaranteeing grid access for renewable technologies, and applying a general carbon tax on all energy forms.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (n.d.). Speech by Ambassador Dan E. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dttp_cnf_mikkelsen_speech.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Speech by Ambassador Dan E. n.d. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dttp_cnf_mikkelsen_speech.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Speech by Ambassador Dan E |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{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairsndspeech, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Speech by Ambassador Dan E}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, 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} }