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Paper short abstract:

This paper argues that the North Sea plays a crucial role in the emergence of a "Green State" through two themes: Extraction and Insertion. The paper focuses on two pivotal events: the 1980 negotiations of the gas-concessions agreement and “Project Greensand” – a large-scale Carbon Storage Project.

Paper long abstract:

This paper departs from a seemingly irrelevant question: what kind of space is the North Sea to Denmark? More specifically, how has the North Sea shaped – and continues to shape - Danish environmental politics? The argument is developed through two analytical figures, ‘Extraction’ and ‘Insertion,’ as emblematic of Danish environmental politics.

After WWII, the North Sea emerged through increasing concern about environmental pollution, thus facilitating Danish opportunities for political influence while positioning itself as a “Green State.” Parallel, the discovery of oil and gas fields added another layer to the plurality of the North Sea: as a submerged realm ready for extraction catalyzed by what appeared as an infinite energy resource. The first part of the presentation will focus on a discursive and political shift, where the North Sea transformed from problem to opportunity by exploring the 1980 (re)negotiations of gas concession agreements between the Danish State (DONG) and Dansk Undergrunds Consortium (DUC)/AP Møller.

The second part explores “Project Greensand,” a large-scale initiative consisting of more than 23 Danish and international actors aimed to develop Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies. The project seeks to store more than 8 million tons of carbon yearly in 2030 by interjecting the carbon into the subsoil of the North Sea in former depleted oil fields.

The two cases illustrate how the North Sea remains a critical space for envisioning environmental politics, where solutionism saturated by green growth and quick fixes is preferred over societal and economic transformation.