(1) If you want to know why Denmark is the world'sleader in wind power, start with a three-hour car trip from the capitalCopenhagen—mind the bicyclists—to the small town of Lem on the far west coastof Jutland. You'll feel it as you cross the 6. 8 km-long Great Belt Bridge:Denmark's bountiful wind, so fierce even on a calm summer's day that itthreatens to shove your car into the waves below. But wind itself is only partof the reason. In Lem, workers in factories the size of aircraft hangars buildthe wind turbines sold by Vestas, the Danish company that has emerged as theindustry' s top manufacturer around the globe. The work is both gross and fine;employees weld together massive curved sheets of steel to make central shaftsas tall as a 14-story building , and assemble engine housings(机器外罩) that hold some l8 ,000 separate parts. Most impressive are the turbine'sblades, which scoop the wind with each sweeping revolution. As smooth as anOlympic swimsuit and honed to aerodynamic perfection, each blade weighs in at 7,000 kg, and they 're what help make Vestas turbines the best in the world. Theblade is where the secret is," says Erik Therkelsen, a Vestas executive.If we. can make a turbine, it's sold. "

(2) But technology, like the wind itself, is just onemore part of the reason for Denmark's dominance. In the end, it happenedbecause Denmark had the political and public will to decide that it wanted tobe a leader- -and to follow through. Beginning in 1979, the government began adetermined programme of subsidies and loan guarantees to build up its windindustry. Copenhagen covered 30% of investment costs , and guaranteed loans forlarge turbine exporters such as Vestas. It also mandated that utilitiespurchase wind energy at a preferential price- -thus guaranteeing investors acustomer base.Energy taxes were channeled into research centres, whereengineers crafted designs that would eventually produce cutting -edge giantslike Vestas' 3-megawatt (MW) V90 turbine.

(3) As a result, wind turbines now dot Denmark. Thecountry gets more than 19% of its electricity from the breeze ( Spain andPortugal , the next highest countries , get about 10% ) and Danish companiescontrol one-third of the global wind market, earning billions in exports andcreating a national champion from scratch. “ They were out early in drivingrenewables, and that gave them the chance to be a technology leader and ajob-creation leader, ” says Jake Schmidt, international climate policy directorfor the New York City-based Natural Resources Defense Council. They have alwaysbeen one or two steps ahead of others.

(4) The challenge now for Denmark is to help the rest ofthe world catch up. Beyond wind, the country (pop. 5.5 million) is a worldleader in energy efficiency, getting more GDP per watt than any other member ofthe E. U. Carbon emissions are down 13. 3% from 1990 levels and total energyconsumption has barely moved, even as Denmark' s economy continued to grow at ahealthy clip. With Copenhagen set to host all-important U. N. climate changetalks in December—where the world hopes for a successor to the expiring KyotoProtocol- -and the global recession beginning to hit environmental plans incapitals everywhere, Denmark's example couldn’t be more timely. " We'lltry to makeDenmark a showroom, " says Prime Minister Anders FoghRasmussen. . You can reduce energy use and carbon emissions, and achieveeconomic growth.

(5) It's tempting to assume that Denmark is innatelygreen, with the kind of Scandinavian good conscience that has made it such apleasant global citizen since, oh, the whole Viking thing. But the country’spolicies were actually born from a different emotion, one now in commoncurrency: fear.When the 1973 oil crisis hit, 90% of Denmark's energy came frompetroleum, almost all of it imported. Buffeted by the same supply shocks thathit the rest of the developed world, Denmark launched a rapid drive for energyconservation, to the point of introducing car-free Sundays and askingbusinesses to switch off lights during closing hours. Eventually the Mideastoil started flowing again, and the Danes themselves began enjoying the benefitsof the petroleum and natural gas in their slice of the North Sea. It was enoughto make them more than self -sufficient. But unlike most other countries,Denmark never forgot the lessons of 1973, and kept driving for greater energyefficiency and a more diversified energy supply. The Danish parliament raisedtaxes on energy to encourage conservation and established subsidies andstandards to support more efficient buildings. It all started out without anyregard for the climate or the environment," says Svend Auken, the formerhead of Denmark’s opposition Social Democrat Party and the architect of thecountry' s environmental policies in the 1990s." But today there's aconsensus that we need to build renewable power.

(6) To the rest of the world, Denmark has the power ofits example, showing that you can stay rich and grow green at the same time.Denmark has proven that acting on climate can be a positive experience, notjust painful," says NRDC's Schmidt. The real pain could come from failingto follow in their footsteps.