Denmark's governing parties shelve plan to add climate rights to constitution

A proposal to enshrine climate rights in Denmark's constitution, previously championed by the Social Democrats, Green Left, and other parties, will not proceed for now. The parties, now part of the governing coalition, acknowledge that the plan has been put on hold.

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Making a new constitution takes a bit longer than five years, so we have been most focused on getting things done here and now. But we still live with the dream of including nature in the constitution.

Martin Lidegaard of the Social Democrats stated that amending the constitution is a complex and lengthy process, taking more than five years. He explained that the government's immediate focus has been on implementing current actions, though the "dream of including nature in the constitution" remains.

Constitutional changes in Denmark are rare, with the current law having been amended only four times since its inception in 1849. The process requires parliamentary approval, a general election, a subsequent confirmation by parliament, and a national referendum. The last amendment was in 1953.

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The life we live today has a huge impact on the next generation, who do not have the right to vote today, so we think it makes sense for the constitution to affirm their rights, so we don't ruin it for them.

In 2023, the Social Democrats and Green Left advocated for a commission to explore incorporating rights to clean drinking water, clean air, and other environmental protections into the constitution. Lidegaard emphasized the intergenerational impact of current lifestyles, arguing for constitutional guarantees to protect future generations' rights.

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It is not part of the government's platform, so we will not be working on it for the next four years. But SF's policy is SF's policy.

Pia Olsen Dyhr, leader of the Green Left, confirmed that constitutional amendments were not part of the government's coalition agreement and thus will not be pursued in the next four years. She noted that while it remains Green Left policy, other priorities such as improving conditions for children and youth, ambitious green transition measures like a national pesticide ban, and abolishing the Great Prayer Day have taken precedence in the government's agenda.

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The government's platform is 77 pages long. Of course, we could have negotiated all policy areas. But then we would probably have seen a government platform of several thousand pages.