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Denmark is the first country in the world where all municipalities are drawing up climate actions plans to meet the targets set in the Paris Agreement.

The idea behind DK2020 is to support municipalities all over Denmark in developing, upgrading or adjusting their existing work on climate action to global best practice, and in ultimately developing climate action plans in line with the 1.5 degree goal in the Paris Agreement. This means that the climate action plans must show the way towards local climate neutrality in 2050 – or sooner. 

The climate action plans will comply with the Climate Action Planning Framework developed by the C40 cities network. DK2020 marks the first time this ambitious international standard is adapted and applied for use in smaller cities and municipalities – which means that the DK2020 municipalities are not just developing local climate action plans, but in fact also making history in the global fight against climate change. 

Learn more about the Climate Action Planning Framework (CAPF)

Timeline and organisation

An extension of the programme was made possible in 2020 when Realdania formed a partnership with Local Government Denmark and the five Danish regions – ensuring DK2020 a total funding of DKK 45 mill (appr. €6 mio.) that made it possible to invite all Danish municipalities to join.

Simultaneously, five geographical organizations with specialist competencies were established to provide advice and consultancy on a regional level. From the beginning in 2019, C40 and green think tank CONCITO have assisted as knowledge partners and project secretariat.    

Timeline

  • 2015

    In the 2015 Paris Agreement, 195 countries set a common goal to reduce the global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees and strive to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees.

  • 2016

    C40 publishes the Deadline 2020 report, which establishes a roadmap for cities’ work to reduce their fair share of greenhouse gas emissions.

  • 2017

    C40 develops the Climate Action Planning Framework (CAPF) to ensure that cities’ climate action planning consider all sources of emissions, ensure public involvement, require implementation across municipal public administration areas and focus on relevant threats in relation to climate-change adaptation.

  • 2019

    Realdania initiates the DK2020 project. The aim is to expedite efforts to meet the Paris Agreement at municipality level, and support dialogue and cooperation on the climate between Danish municipalities.
  • 20 Danish municipalities are selected to follow in the footsteps of the most climate-ambitious cities in the world, and to join DK2020 . At this time, only one Danish municipality has a climate plan that meets the objectives of the Paris Agreement: the City of Copenhagen, which has a climate plan approved by the international cities network C40.

  • 2020

    Realdania forms a partnership with Local Government Denmark and the five regions, which ensures DK2020 a total budget of DKK 45 mill, making it possible to invite all Danish municipalities to join the project.
  • Five geographical organizations with specialist competencies are established to provide advice and consultancy on a regional level

  • 2021

    The first 20 climate action plans are approved by the international cities network C40 and ready to be implemented. Experience from the first 20 municipalities goes back to the international cities network C40 from which the concept and idea behind DK2020 derives. At the initiative of Frederiksberg Municipality, the 20 municipalities set up a C40-approved plan called Klimaalliancen (the climate alliance) that commits the participating municipalities to implement climate action plans.

  • 2025

    All 98 municipalities and five regions are members of The Climate Alliance of Denmark

96 climate actions plans to explore - and two more on the way

Green marks the municipalities that have now completed their climate action plans. Choose a municipality on the map below to view the municipality's climate action plan. 

Grey marks municipalities with climate action plans underway.

As the climate action plans are completed and approved, the map will be updated with links.

The DK2020 project is based on the Deadline 2020 report, published by the international C40 cities network and the consultancy firm Arup in 2016 following the Paris Agreement. The report sets a global standard for how cities and municipalities can contribute to achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement. It also points out that up to 40% of the goals in the Paris Agreement can be reached by implementing the right climate measures in the world’s cities and municipalities. 

Deadline 2020

COP28

In December 2023 a number of Danish mayors and the chairman of Danish Regions shared their work on local climate action plans at COP28.

View the Global Climate Action Event

Project facts

This project is no longer being updated, and some of the information may therefore be outdated.

This project is no longer being updated, and some of the information may therefore be outdated.

Project period
2019 - 2023
Funding amount
17 mio. DKK.

Publications

28 March 2024

Publication

Analysis of the emissions reduction contributions of Danish municipalities towards meeting the 70% target by 2030 (Updated March 2024)

All 98 Danish municipalities have committed to developing C40-approved climate action plan compatible with the Paris Agreement. In this report, Ea Energianalyse analyses the 96 climate action plans developed so far.

2 April 2024

Publication

Adaptation approaches in Danish municipalities climate action plans

1 October 2021

Publication

Learning from DK2020

Pilot municipalities towards climate neutrality and climate resilience.

1 November 2021

Publication

DK2020 Municipalities leading the way

This publication presents 20 stories of climate action planning from Danish municipalities.

Photos

1/24

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