A shared future - balanced development - Short version
4. Sustainable use of natural resources
Nature's resources are used in many of society's activities. Denmark must reduce the use of natural resources and recycle more. In particular, the use of resources which are scarce, vulnerable, or which produce negative environmental impacts must be limited. Denmark's long-term goal is to reduce resource consumption to 25 percent compared to present levels.
World populations continue to grow, and in general, increasing economic wealth can be expected both in industrial and developing countries. This will increase the pressure exerted on nature and the environment. Therefore, it is essential to reduce resource consumption through changing production and consumption patterns.
Many manufactures and businesses use a more environmentally friendly technology and have introduced environmental management programmes.Today, many consumers purchase more environmentally friendly products than previously. Denmark has succeeded in stabilising its total energy consumption and water consumption has also decreased.
Over the last 10 years, the volume of waste has risen in the majority of sectors.Waste, which cannot be recycled, represents a loss of resources. In 2003 the Danish government will present a strategy aimed at preventing this loss of resources and the environmental pressure associated with waste.The waste which is unavoidably produced must, to a greater extent, be reused and recycled. In the future, efforts will focus on waste materials which produce the greatest pressure on the environment or which are associated with the greatest resource consumption.The Danish government will investigate whether the goals of more effective resource consumption and waste minimisation are best achieved using targeted market-based measures, for example taxes on raw materials and other materials.
Denmark must promote sustainable use of Danish raw materials. It is relevant to consider setting targets regarding the proportion of the gross energy production to be supplied by renewable energy in the future. This will ensure continued expansion of the renewable energy sector, thus contributing to achieving environmental goals in a cost-effective manner.