And Now.... DENMARK
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• In what sense might a huge wind turbine symbolize Denmark's vision of the future? • What's the key to Denmark's economic success? • How do traditional values influence its policies? • What role does Denmark play in today's world? Here’s some background for your research into those questions.

On the horizon, they resemble tall, single-masted ships with sails furled. Up close, they appear to be futuristic windmills, rising from the sea! Actually, they're wind turbines. And, to the people of Denmark, each is a symbol of their nation's commitment to clean electricity. Indeed, by June 2004, Denmark's "wind farms" (on-land and offshore) were providing 21 percent of its electricity. And Denmark was nearing the point where a fifth of its total power needs would be satisfied by various forms of renewable energy!

Being there. Using the environment wisely is nothing new in Denmark. Its people have long been influenced by the fact that their country (a peninsula plus islands) sits on a neck of water between the North and Baltic Seas. Early Danes excelled at farming and fishing. But once they mastered the crafts of shipbuilding and seafaring, this neck of water became their passageway for "Viking" voyages of exploration, trade and conquest.
    Today, Denmark is a peace-loving country. Its 5.4 million people enjoy a constitutional monarchy with a popularly elected parliament. And their explorations occur in research labs, not at sea. But that strategic neck of water is still a vital asset. Since World War II, Danish ports along the waterway — especially Copenhagen, the nation's capital — have become major transfer points for goods entering and leaving the Baltic region.

Faring, sharing. Denmark's own exports equal 38 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) — an impressive amount, considering that the country has few natural resources. Indeed, Danish industries import most of the resources they need. Still, Danes maintain a favorable balance of trade (exports exceed imports). They're self-sufficient in energy. And their service-based economy churns out the 8th-highest per-capita income in the world.
    All Danes benefit from this prosperity. And, despite recent cutbacks in the number of people receiving benefits, all are still entitled to a free education, basic health care, and a pension. New mothers in the workforce are guaranteed several months of paid maternity leave. Government assistance is available for the unemployed. And to pay for all this, Danes have shouldered one of the world's heaviest tax rates — roughly 50 percent. In 2003, the government began cutting taxes. But the country is unlikely to abandon the traditional values and ideas that inspired today's "welfare state." As Danish philosopher K.E. Løgstrup once stated: "We humans hold part of each other's destiny in our hands."

Reaching out. The application of that ideal doesn't stop at Danish borders. Denmark is a world leader in per-capita assistance to needy nations. In the 1990s, it set aside $150 million for food, medicine, and other recovery purposes in the Balkan region. More recently, it pledged over $500 million for humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. And it is committed to the reduction of global poverty, as well as to other "Millennium Development Goals" sponsored by the UN. Denmark works for global peace in many ways. Danes are active in the UN, the European Union, NATO, and the Nordic Council (which also includes Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). Danish diplomats are helping new democracies on the Baltic coast and in Eastern Europe to develop close ties with the West. And tens of thousands of Danes have served as UN peacekeepers and observers…. Come to think of it: Denmark's "environment" is the planet, itself.

Research Tip. Interested in reading more about "sharing" in Denmark? Try this short article by Emily Flynn in Newsweek: "Peace of Mind." July 26, 2004. P. 40.