Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 78

the technical and statistical aspects, not policy. In terms of saving energy,
Denmark is acclaimed for using wind energy, with windmills spotting the
landscape. One small island, Samso, has gained world attention by gener-
ating all of its electricity by windmills. It even exports a surplus to the rest
of the country.
On the negative side, the government appointed Bjorn Lomborg, author
of The Skeptical Environmentalist , to direct the Environmental Assessment
Institute. Lomborg was a statistician who won fame as a vigorous oppo-
nent of the Kyoto Protocol. He attacked it as based on weak science and
not being efficient from the economic perspective. Under his direction the
institute advocated getting the most for the money, finding cheap solu-
tions, and trading emissions allowances. Within a few years, Denmark
became the first country to buy carbon allowances from Russia. Earlier it
had purchased half of the carbon emissions quota of Moldova, the maxi-
mum that former Soviet republic was allowed to sell. Critics argued that
Denmark should reduce its emissions at home.
Even prior to assuming his position directing the institute, Lomborg
had come in for bitter criticism. The Committee on Scientific Dishonesty,
a branch of the National Research Agency that draws together some of
the country's most senior scientists, officially condemned his work. The
committee's 6640-word verdict concluded that his topic “is deemed to fall
within the concept of scientific dishonesty” and that it “is deemed clearly
contrary to the standards of good scientific practice.” The committee said
that “The defendant . . . based on customary scientific standards and in
light of his systematic one-sidedness in the choice of data and line of argu-
ment, has clearly acted at variance with good scientific practice.” 28 Later
the Science Ministry, reflecting the views of the conservative political
leaders, overturned the committee's dishonesty verdict.
Denmark has another aspect to its environmental policy: Greenland.
This largest island in the world had been under Danish sovereignty since
1605, based on claims of ancient Viking settlement. The most impor-
tant threat comes from global warming. Virtually any scenario of the
future puts Greenland at the center. If the ice cap melts, the water will
raise the sea level. Furthermore, the freshwater will be enough to disrupt
the Gulf Stream-Atlantic Drift due to lessened salt content of the North
Atlantic. Over the years, many scientific expeditions have drilled cores in
the ice of Greenland to measure temperatures in the geologic past. The
giant island has some potential for oil, for which the government hopes
to drill. At present the number of tourists is small, but the government