The Danish Council on Climate Change’s work programme for 2025–2026
The Danish Climate Act sets out a number of mandatory tasks for the Council and also mandates it to prepare analyses and recommendations on climate efforts, among other topics.
Below is a list of the Council’s planned publications in 2025 and 2026. The work programme is subject to change, for instance due to new developments and knowledge that highlight the relevance of other topics, or changes to the Council’s framework and resources in connection with a possible revision of the Climate Act.
Recurring tasks under the Danish Climate Act
- Assessment brief (October 2025): Commentary on the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities’ annual Climate Programme.
- Assessment brief (October/November 2025): Commentary on the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities’ Global Climate Strategy.
- Status Outlook 2026 (February 2026): According to the Climate Act, the DCCC must each year in February provide recommendations for the national climate effort and assess whether the government’s climate action demonstrates that Denmark’s climate targets can be met. The Council must also assess Denmark’s progress towards its international climate commitments. For the first time, the 2026 Status Outlook will include an assessment of whether the government’s climate efforts make the 2035 target credible. The report will also focus on, among other topics, the implementation of adopted climate policies, developments in EU climate policy, and energy efficiency in buildings.
- Assessment brief (May/June 2026): Commentary on Climate Status and Projections 2026.
- Assessment brief (May/June 2026): Commentary on Global Stocktake 2026.
- Assessment brief (October 2026): Commentary on the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities’ annual Climate Programme.
- Assessment brief (October/November 2026): Commentary on the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities’ Global Climate Strategy.
- Toolbox of policy instruments (ongoing): As stipulated by the Climate Act, the Council must compile a toolbox of potential climate policy instruments. The toolbox has been available on the Council’s website since 2023 and is updated regularly – for example when the Council issues new recommendations or when new proposals and political agreements are presented.
- Indicators (ongoing): As a new and recurring part of its annual cycle, the Council will publish indicators to track progress on implementation. Timely implementation is increasingly important to achieve the binding targets in the Climate Act for 2030 and beyond. The first publication is planned for autumn 2025.
Ad hoc analyses by the Council
In addition to the recurring tasks, the DCCC currently expects to carry out analyses in the following areas. These are expected to be published in 2026:
- The Green Tripartite Agreement
- International aviation
- Public support and acceptance
In recent years, the Council has published analyses on topics such as Scenarios of Future Land Use in Denmark, Denmark’s 2035 Climate Target, Denmark's Climate Transition Towards 2050, and Denmark’s Global Climate Action.
Other publications and activities
Beyond its recurring tasks and ad hoc analyses, the DCCC may publish assessment briefs on topical issues. The Council also produces opinion pieces, consultation responses and briefing material in connection with meetings with the government, the Danish Parliament, the Climate Dialogue Forum and various stakeholders.
The Council also works continuously on topics such as GrønREFORM, biomass and the climate impact of consumption. These ongoing efforts help inform the Council’s regular tasks, ad hoc analyses, opinion pieces, consultation responses and meeting materials.
