SUMMARY

The European Union’s climate commissioner has told the 27-country bloc that the only way out of energy crises fueled by the wars in Iran and Ukraine is homegrown energy, and that the EU must accelerate its transition away from fossil fuels. One country leading the charge towards green energy is Denmark.

View the transcript of the story.

NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Where does this segment explore?
2. How does Denmark rank among the world's top economies?
3. When did Denmark decide that self-sufficiency and energy security were top priorities (after what major events)?
4. Why has the conflict in the Middle East highlighted the need for self-sufficiency, according to Rune Schmidt?
5. What percentage of Denmark's energy comes from renewable sources?

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

President Donald Trump has continued to roll back green energy developments, and most recently, the administration has offered two electricity companies a billion dollars each in return for scrapping wind farm projects (For additional context, see the PBS News Hour Classroom Daily News Lesson "Why the Trump Administration is paying billions to abandon wind farms").

Donald Trump has claimed that "the more windmills a country has, the more money that country loses", while former Danish foreign minister Kristian Jensen explains that "the price of power coming out of a wind turbine is cheaper than that of natural gas". Additionally, Denmark leads as an example, ranking in the world's top 10 economies, and its green energy industry employs 107,000 people and earns about $17 billion a year.

• Which argument do you find more compelling? Why or why not?
• Why do you think Trump continues to cite cost as the main reason for not investing in wind energy, despite evidence to the contrary?

Another argument raised by the administration against wind energy is that it poses a security risk by interfering with radar and allowing hostile aircraft or missiles to penetrate national defenses. However, Martin Couet, a vice president at a major Danish defense company, Terma, argues that the echoes and clutter in signaling caused by wind farms can be mitigated.

• Do you believe that potential interferences and risks to national security outweigh investments in green energy, like wind turbines? Why or why not?
• With the ongoing crises in the Middle East and Ukraine driving fuel shortages and price increases, do you believe the United States should make green energy a higher priority, as Denmark has? Explain with reference to examples and data from the segment.

Media literacy: The News Hour segment included interviews with a former Danish foreign minister, a Danish mayor, and an energy engineer, among others, while interspersed with video clips of interviews with President Donald Trump. Why do you think the story was told through these varying perspectives?

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO

Go to the US Energy Information Administration "Energy Kids" website and navigate to the "Energy Sources" tab and/or visit "Energy Explained" on the US Energy Information Administration site. Choose one renewable resource and one non-renewable resource, and answer the following:

• How does this energy source work?
• How has this energy source's share of the total US electricity generation changed over time?
• What are the benefits of this energy source?
• What are the limitations?

Share your findings with your class, defending either the renewable or nonrenewable energy source that you chose.

Alternatively, find out which energy sources your state uses. Go to the US Energy Information Administration States Overview linked here. Answer the following:

• What energy source (Coal, natural gas, petroleum, renewable energy, electricity) does your state consume the most? The least?
• What energy source contributes the most to electric power sector consumption? The least?
• What sector (commercial, industrial, residential, transportation) consumes the most energy? The least?

Now, compare your state's energy consumption with the US as a whole (data can be found here for total energy consumption and here for electricity generation).

• Did any findings surprise you? Why or why not?

Written by Claudia Caruso, PBS News Hour Classroom's intern, and News Hour's Vic Pasquantonio

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