Denmark

A newborn infant held by a healthcare worker in a hospital setting, representing Denmark's elimination of mother-to-child HIV and syphilis transmission

Denmark becomes first E.U. nation to end mother-to-child HIV and syphilis

By / / Good News For Humankind

Denmark has become the first country in the European Union to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of both HIV and syphilis, earning official validation from the World Health Organization. The milestone reflects decades of universal prenatal screening and free, integrated care for all pregnant women. Health officials maintained transmission rates below 50 cases per 100,000 live births for several consecutive years — and experts say the Danish model could now serve as a blueprint for the rest of Europe.

Aerial view of offshore wind turbines in the North Sea at sunrise for an article about North Sea wind hub

Ten nations pledge €11 billion for 100GW North Sea wind hub

By / / Good News For Humankind

Ten European nations have signed a landmark agreement to transform the North Sea into the world’s largest offshore wind power zone. The countries — including the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands — committed a joint €11 billion investment to build 100 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030. The deal creates thousands of jobs, stabilizes energy prices, and sets a new model for cross-border clean energy cooperation that other regions can follow.

Holding a cell phone|iPhone

Denmark to ban mobile phones in schools and after-school clubs

By / / Good news links

The Danish wellbeing commission was set up by the prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, in 2023 to investigate growing dissatisfaction among children and young people. Its long-awaited report, published recently, raised the alarm over the digitization of children and young people’s lives and called for a better balance between digital and analog life. Among its 35 recommendations was the need for government legislation banning phones from schools and after-school clubs.

Coastal farmland in Denmark

Denmark to plant one billion trees and return 15% of its land to nature

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On farms in Denmark that grow crops like hay for animal feed, the government will soon pay farmers to turn some of their land into forests instead. In other areas, farm fields will revert to peatlands. In total, around 10% of the country will be restored to nature. The plan goes farther than any other country has so far to tackle emissions from the food chain, which is responsible for around a quarter of the world’s total carbon footprint.

Blood cells under microscope

Danish scientists design new form of insulin that automatically switches itself on and off

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For decades, researchers have been working to develop a system that can automatically adjust insulin activity based on the amount of glucose in a person’s blood. Now, Rita Slaaby, a principal scientist at pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk in Bagsværd, Denmark, and her colleagues engineered an insulin molecule with a switch that turns its activity on and off in response to glucose levels in the blood. In animals, this ‘smart’ insulin reduces high blood-sugar concentrations effectively while preventing levels from dropping too low.

Green ammonia plant

World’s first green ammonia plant is now open for business in Denmark

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The new plant – located in Ramme, Denmark – is said to be capable of producing 5,000 tons of green ammonia per year, entirely from solar and wind energy. Topsoe reports that this effort will prevent 8,200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Gray ammonia production – which uses fossil fuels – is currently the norm around the globe, and accounts for about 1.2% of all carbon dioxide emissions.

Danish flag

Denmark to pioneer CO2 tax on farms in a global first

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The CO2 tax proposal, first proposed by government-commissioned scientists in February, is part of Denmark’s ambitious ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent from 1990 levels by 2030. The agriculture sector, which is the country’s greatest producer of CO2 emissions, is the main focus of this project.

Danish flag

Denmark relaxes abortion law

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Denmark is easing its abortion law for the first time in 50 years to allow women to terminate their pregnancies up to the 18th week. The new rules will also allow 15 to 17-year-olds to have an abortion without parental consent and will replace the five regional abortion consultations with a new national abortion board, to avoid local differences.

Vials of blood

Bacterial enzyme strips away blood types to create universal donor blood

By / / Good news links

There’s a global shortage of blood supplies needed for life-saving transfusions due to factors that include an aging population with a higher demand for it and a lack of volunteer donors. To help address this challenge, researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Lund University, Sweden, have used enzymes produced by a common gut bacteria to remove the A and B antigens from red blood cells, bringing them one step closer to creating universal donor blood.

Offshore wind turbines

Denmark plans massive 10GW offshore wind tender to insure against “Putin’s black gas”

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The Danish Energy Agency announced this week plans for the largest offshore wind tender in the country’s history, which could see anywhere from 6GW to 10GW awarded from six new sites. Denmark is currently operating total offshore wind capacity of 2.7GW, with the 1GW Thor Offshore Wind Farm to be completed in 2027. A further 3GW is expected to be built on the Bornholm energy island being developed between the Danish Energy Agency and Danish TSO Energinet.