Denmark wants to phase out coal by 2025–and they can do it

Welcome to Denmark:

Denmark has already taken big steps to break reliance on high-polluting coal - wind turbines are set to generate more than half of all electricity by 2020 and 41 percent of people in Copenhagen cycle to work or school, higher than in Amsterdam.

"The cost (of phasing out coal) would not be significant," Climate, Energy and Building Minister Helveg Petersen told Reuters of a proposal he made this week to bring forward a planned phase-out of all coal use to 2025 from 2030.

This is really tremendous news. Denmark has been a global leader in creating and applying greener policies; and they need to since they have relied so heavily on coal for so long. But Denmark looks to be traveling the right path.

Copenhagen has won awards as the world's greenest capital -glass trophies are on show in the mayor's office in ornate City Hall to reward a cleanup that means, for instance, that people can swim in the formerly polluted harbour in summertime.

Mayor Frank Jensen said a shift from burning coal in homes and buildings was originally to encourage workers to live in the city, rather than commute and pay local taxes elsewhere.

Mayors had to create livable cities, he told Reuters. "You soon come to the green agenda because families want to have a green city," he said. Copenhagen's cycle lanes, for instance, have expanded to 350 kms (220 miles).

People used to swim in the Hudson river in New York City all summer long. It could happen again.