Denmark supports the Fund, a group committed to helping countries obtain food security and environmental sustainability. Africa's Development Fast Track is being assisted by the Fund to increase agricultural productivity and decrease poverty. This helps people live more sustainably, and with more nutrition and food security. This millions of dollars grant helps the infrastructure of the African countries in need. This helps their economy as well as their food supply.

Denmark's environmental health is decent, but not great. People's health is generally very good, with a high Human Development Index and high life expectancy. Additionally, the country invests in good mental and physical health. They have great economic opportunities with various careers, many scholarships, programs to maintain skills, a good medical program,and good education for medical careers. Their happiness and health is great, however their environmental health could be better. Sachs mentions in his text that agriculture is the main contributor to pollution, and Denmark's industries are largely agricultural. Their pesticide and fertilizer use could be better managed, and then the people's happiness and the environment's would both be great.

Denmark and Education

Education is an important aspect of sustainable development, because through it, we are able to adopt new practices, engage with different ideas and perspectives, and develop a wide range of skills the use across the globe. Environmental education is a rising topic of interest in the world, and the more people seek education, the more they'll be able to help with environmental issues and engage with each other in meaningful conversations. 

Denmark's official site notes, "High quality education at all levels is essential to ensure competitiveness in today’s globalised world." Because of this, Denmark prioritizes education to include innovation and high standards of learning, "preparing their students to play an active role in a globalised, knowledgebased society." 

Basic education is required for all Danish citizens, and secondary school prepares people for higher education. Over 50% of a year group go on to higher education. Denmark applies "innovative research and teaching" to their schooling, along with interdisciplinary practices and project-based experiences. "Most Danish higher education institutions benefit from their co‐operation with business, industry and research institutes, creating an enriching and vibrant learning environment for their students." This means students, schools, and businesses all learn from each other and work together to bring about an environment where creativity and problem-solving occur often. 

Denmark also allows people from outside the country to study there, fostering a sense of acceptance and globalization to keep new ideas flowing. 

"There is a strong tradition of lifelong learning in Denmark. Many Danes participate in adult education to improve their knowledge and skills in order to advance professionally or change career. The workforce is thus constantly upgraded to meet the needs of the labour market." This means the people and business shift constantly in reaction to new ideas and concepts, showing adaptability and openness to different practices. 

This good education system, linked with the ability to work with business and other countries shows Denmark's ability to work on sustainability issues with others, fostering new ideas and practices that can be of use to helping the environment, the economy, and the people around the world. 

Denmark's social inclusion is being reworked as of now. In the past 15 years, Denmark has aimed to be more inclusive of people not originally from the country. Before, it was largely centralized, but they're looking to make their framework more "mainstream" to include even more people. There were less immigrants enrolled in education programs, about 3% lower than people of Danish origin. Refugees and women have the lowest employment rate in Denmark.
Now, they're looking to "strengthen the reception of newcomers," help immigrants find employment, improve immigrant children's education, "develop vulnerable and segregated urban areas," and prevent marginalization. In 2012 they launched an integration barometer and found they needed to make a more balanced mainstream policy to meet needs across the country but fitting them to the regions. More social programs and better integration policies are being implemented to reach these goals.

Denmark, like every other country, is subject to some planetary boundaries. Using the FAO website, we can see that their main exports are food related, the top items being pork, cheese, bacon, food wastes, and pastries.

Their main imports are beef, pastries, wine, palm oil, and a few other food items.

Their total land area value is 4,309, and a little more than half (2,414) is used for crops, as seen on the AQUASTAT report on the FAO site. This means that their main exports are dependent on more than half of their land area. Looking at a chart of their fertilizer use, they utilize about 81 tonnes per 1000 ha for their crops, which is a lot when considering their main exports depend on their food production. They also use 1,497 tonnes per 1000 hectare of pesticides, which isn't terrible, but still harmful. So, two planetary boundaries concerning Denmark would be agricultural pollution and change in land use. Because they're so dependent on agriculture for their economy, they use fertilizers and pesticides to help maintain a steady stream of goods, which can be harmful to the environment in large quantities. Additionally, they're using a little over half their land for agriculture, which means there was a shift into that at some point in the past. This shifted the landscape, clearing out plant and animal species to make room for the production of food. These limitations could effect Denmark if their crop yield suddenly goes south, because a lot of their land is already used for their main investment.

Comparing Denmark, Luxembourg, and Germany

 When looking at Denmark, Luxembourg,and Germany in tandem, it is observed that all countries have a good GDP, banking, and infrastructure. They are also all EU members, so they communicate and cooperate with other countries around them; all of them are also considered low on the charted corruption of each country, showing a sound government. Their background's are similar, all looking to control the Holy Roman Empire, as well as being close to each other. 

However, these countries differ a bit. Luxembourg is land-locked while Germany and Denmark have coastal access, making trade easier for the latter two. Additionally, Luxembourg has a small population in a small country- the other two have decent-sized populations, and their area is larger, so they can hold more people. Germany entered the industrial era later than the other two and is a newer country, so needed to catch up a bit. 

Because each country has a good economy, they can afford to worry about environmental concerns. Other countries may be looking for money to feed and house their citizens, while Germany, Denmark, and Luxembourg have enough money to do that already, so can focus on other issues. Their sound governments also allow for more progress and discussion on sustainability issues, and their good education allows for more people to be aware of the need for a healthy environment. 

Denmark as an Economic Developer 

Denmark, during its peak of colonization from 1536 until 1945, had bases in Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. They built small areas for trading and defense in Africa, and had a small colony in the southern coast of India. Some of their colonized islands were sold to the United States after a time, but Denmark kept up some trading posts in India, since a main source of revenue was the spice trade.

England was first to go through the industrial boom, and because Denmark is so close, they were able to quickly accrue the benefits of this industrialization and economic development. Denmark was focused on agriculture for a long time, until the 1950s. Because most of its residents were wealthy, the ratio of agriculture to labor gave Denmark an unusually strong advantage when it came to agriculture and economic benefits. 

There are 9 Fortune 500 companies in Denmark. Maersk, a shipping and energy company; Novo Nordisk, a pharmaceutical company; Carlsberg, a brewing company; TDC A/S, a telecommunications industry; Jyske Bank; Novozymes, a bio technical company; Sydbank, a large bank; Coloplast, a health industry; and Vestas, a wind turbine manufacturer, are all the Fortune 500 companies based in Denmark.

Besides people, Denmark's main sources of industry and production are oil and gas. Main exports include industrially produced and manufactured products and agricultural products. They have no foreign debts because all countries they trade with owe them more than Denmark owes other countries. Although Denmark's main sources of industry are gas and oil, they also focus on wind and bio energy, so other main exports are machinery. 

Denmark is parliamentary and representative democracy-run. It is a monarchy with a milti-party system in which no party in particular has held majority since early in the 1900s. Most bills aren't passed without negotiations and cooperation. Denmark is a welfare model country, thus focusing on issues with its citizens and honing in on local government. People in Denmark have been very happy with their political situation and is considered by other organizations globally to be one of the least corrupt countries.

Now, since Denmark was a colonizer, using other countries to aid its own growth, it makes sense that it would be doing better. Additionally, it was able to reap the benefits of the industrialization from England without having to be the first country to implement it. Additionally, it was able to use the techniques for better production from England while balancing its agrarian traditions, keeping it environmentally healthy while being able to grow their economy. It has a good number of wealthy companies, some of which are focused on environmentalism, reflected in their push to help create renewable resources. Their good economy, well-run government, and push for sustainable energy all help their environment, and in turn keep stimulating their economy. 

Denmark

Denmark's GDP is good- not as much as America's some-odd trillion, but enough for their prosperous small country. Their Human Development Index number is very good- one of the best in the world, meaning they have good education, great mental and physical health, and overall a satisfying lifestyle. Their life expectancy, in turn, is good, at 81 on average between females and males. Women there are pretty well educated, only about a year less than women in the United States. Their population is almost stable, with 1.7 births per woman. Since it isn't two children per woman, their population is slowly declining as of now, and the urbanization is a decent rate.

Two things that have interested me, found on Gapminder, are the environment and society aspects of the country. When looking at the worldwide annual CO2 emissions, Denmark emits a very small amount, roughly 37,000 tonnes, as opposed to the giants of carbon emission, China and America, who emit 9,628,000 tonnes and 5,122,000 respectively. Also charted on this graph are the life expectancy of each country in relation to their carbon emissions. Denmark's is 80, one higher than the U.S, and four years higher than China. 

Next, I looked at military expenditures, charted also with life expectancy (since money not funding the military usually goes to programs benefiting people and their health). Denmark spends 5.58 million, with a life expectancy of 80, while China spends 1.35 billion and the United States spends 312 million. While the life expectancy differences are much, these studies show correlations that increase human happiness/well being.