climate policy
Environmental groups sue EU taxonomy
Several environmental organizations have filed lawsuits against the EU taxonomy. photo
© Fabian Sommer/dpa
Since the beginning of January, nuclear power and gas have been classified as climate-friendly in the EU. This met with sharp criticism from environmental groups. Now they want to take action.
Several environmental organizations are suing the EU’s classification of gas and nuclear power as climate-friendly. Greenpeace, the Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz (BUND) and the World Wild Fund (WWF) along with other groups have filed lawsuits against the so-called taxonomy, as the associations announced. With this, the European Union lists areas in which investments can be made to combat climate change.
Since the beginning of January, investments in gas or nuclear power plants have also been classified as climate-friendly. This caused discussions and criticism, as climate-damaging CO2 is emitted when gas is burned and radioactive waste is produced when nuclear energy is used. Austria and Luxembourg are also taking legal action against the EU taxonomy.
“The EU Commission must not disguise the problem as a solution. Nuclear and gas cannot be sustainable,” said Nina Treu, Managing Director of Greenpeace Germany. While Greenpeace wants to take action against the green label for nuclear and gas, other groups are specifically targeting the classification of gas. “With the decision to classify fossil natural gas as climate-friendly, the EU Commission has stepped on very thin ice, both factually and legally,” said BUND Chairman Olaf Bandt.