A Comparative Analysis of Climate Change Policies: Denmark & The United States
Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges, demanding coordinated action from leaders and policymakers worldwide. As countries struggle to adapt and mitigate the far-reaching, severe consequences of climate change, the policies they implement play a crucial role in shaping sustainability and the future. This paper compares and contrasts the climate change policies of two nations—the United States and Denmark—by analyzing the effectiveness, equity considerations, and political contexts of the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act and Denmark’s Climate Action Plan. The Inflation Reduction Act is the most significant and recent climate-focused piece of legislation put forward by the United States. Since President Trump’s term began in January 2025, multiple executive orders unraveling the work of the Biden-Harris agenda on climate change have been signed. At this point in time, it’s still too early to understand the full environmental and economic scope of what President Trump's orders could mean for the world. Nevertheless, the paper will briefly discuss what his approach to fossil fuel companies are during his time in office. In the United States, federalism is a defining feature of environmental policy, with the strongest forms of climate action emerging from the state government level, leading to varying policies from state to state. As such, this paper will specifically analyze the domestic environmental policies in Vermont in comparison to the international environmental policies in Copenhagen, Denmark. While Vermont’s green initiatives set it apart and ahead of the rest of the United States, Denmark’s ambitious emissions goals and climate policies set an example for the rest of the world. With a focus on renewable energy, carbon taxes, and technological innovations, Denmark’s approach to fighting climate change offers a blueprint for sustainability for the world to model. By comparing Denmark to the United States, one can better envision a 21st-century green economy rooted in sustainability and justice.
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