GEF

Unit 8  |  Government and Sustainability 178 in reducing inequality through taxation and other policy mea- sures. As social equality is a key component of sustainability, these countries can be seen as more successful in promoting sustainability. In some contexts, sustainability is understood as a matter of personal choice, such as electing to take the bus to work instead of driving in order to do the right thing. In contrast, several countries have used direct government action to make sustainability part of the structural fabric of everyday life. In Denmark, the government makes it difficult not to practice sustainability. The Danish government heavily taxes automo- biles and gasoline to the point where citizens find it in their economic interest to rely on public transit and bicycling. The government also sets high standards for energy efficiency and actively invests in wind energy , which currently provides about 25 percent of national energy demand. These policies mean that compared with people in most other developed nations, Danish residents have a smaller ecological footprint whether they choose to or not. The government provides an economic incentive for commuting by bicycle in Denmark. WIND ENERGY Energy captured from wind through the use of turbines.