COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — On Monday, Danish lawmakers approved a major new environmental initiative aimed at reducing fertilizer use. The plan involves planting 1 billion trees and converting 10% of the country’s farmland into forests and natural habitats over the next 20 years.
The government described the agreement as “the biggest change to the Danish landscape in over 100 years.”
Jeppe Bruus, head of Denmark’s Green Tripartite Ministry, which was formed to implement the green deal, said, “The Danish nature will change in a way we have not seen since the wetlands were drained in 1864.”
The deal includes an investment of 43 billion kroner ($6.1 billion) to purchase land from farmers over the next two decades.
Under the plan, Denmark will expand its forests by 250,000 hectares (618,000 acres). In addition, 140,000 hectares (346,000 acres) of farmland, currently using climate-damaging low-lying soils, will be converted into natural areas. Currently, 14.6% of Denmark’s land is covered by forests.
The agreement was reached by Denmark’s three-party government coalition — the Social Democrats, the Liberals, and the center Moderates — along with the Socialist People’s Party, the Conservatives, the Liberal Alliance, and the Social Liberal Party.
A parliamentary vote on the deal is expected to pass without issue.
In June, Denmark became the first country to announce plans to tax livestock farmers for the greenhouse gases emitted by their animals. Starting in 2030, farmers will be taxed for the methane emissions from cows, sheep, and pigs, as part of efforts to tackle global warming.
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