Shortly before Christmas, Ida Auken, Minister for the Environment published the Danish Government's Action Plan for a climate-proof Denmark. The plan provides an overview of the initiatives already launched by the government, as well as future initiatives to ensure Denmark's resilience towards more serious precipitation.

The action plan emphasises the following five overall focus areas:

The government must ensure the best possible framework for climate change adaptation in the municipalities.

• The government must ensure a common knowledge base and regularly prepare guidelines on climate change impacts.
• Initiatives must be coordinated across authorities, the business community and the general public.
• Focus must be on the growth potential in developing new innovative solutions which contribute to the green transition.
• Denmark is working to reduce climate change impacts at international level, as well as for ambitious climate change adaptation in the EU.

Together with the Action Plan, the Task Force on Climate Change Adaptation has published a background report,  Mapping climate change - barriers and opportunities for action. 

Public information campaign                                                                                                               In collaboration with a number of partners, Ida Auken, Minister for the Environment has launched a citizen campaign aimed at helping citizens to think more about prevention and climate proofing their homes.

The campaign has its own website, www.klimatilpas.nu (Webpage no longer exists) The Minister has entered into an agreement with several industries which offer Danes a free climate change adaptation check of their home. The check is the first step towards preventing flooding in private houses.

The cloudburst damage in 2011 alone resulted in a total of DKK 6.2 bn. in damages.

Guidelines for the municipalities                                                                                                       During 2013 all 98 Danish municipalities will describe and pinpoint the local risk of flooding and draw up a prioritised action plan for the initiatives aimed at protecting citizens against flooding.

New guidelines from the Danish Nature Agency describe how the municipalities can manage this task and reach the goals laid down in the action plan by the end of 2013.

Groundwater of the future                                                                                                                      At klimatilpasning.dk, a new screening tool has been launched to examine changes in groundwater levels and groundwater recharge taking into account the future expected climate development (for the period 2021-2050).

The purpose of groundwater maps is to provide a national basis for screening with information on the future groundwater conditions. The tool is only available in Danish.

More examples of climate change adaptation                                                                                 In Vejle (town in Jutland), a new type of stormwater infiltration bed which purifies and filtrates contaminated road water is being tested. A specially designed topsoil filtrates pollutants from the road water as it seeps down into the soil.

In Brøndby, which is in the region of Copenhagen, municipalities and garden owners have joined forces to find common stormwater solutions.

A project in Northern Zealand is to develop a large area in Kokkedal so that local management of stormwater and flooding can be combined with urban development and establishment of recreational values and new active locations for the benefit and pleasure of the public.

Read more about the cases in the links below.