Greening the Danes

Summary

The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of consumer-oriented environmental policies by analysing the development within private consumption in Denmark since the beginning of the 1980s and comparing this to the political initiatives taken by successive Danish governments. Three analytical questions direct our analysis and discussion:
 What impact has the Danish consumer-oriented policy had on the development in private consumption since early 1980s? What are the environmental successes and failures of this policy?
 To what degree has the consumer-oriented policy effectively addressed the driving forces (social, cultural and technological) behind growth in consumption?
 What impact has the change from a Social Democratic to a liberal government in 2001 had on the consumer-oriented policy?