Climate campaign group, Greenpeace has said that it would file a lawsuit against the European Commission over its decision to include gas and nuclear energy in the EU’s list of investments that can be labelled as “green”.
The group is claiming that the European Union had violated its own climate laws by labelling some gas and nuclear energy investments as green after it had requested a formal review of the Commission’s decision last September.
Brussels rejected its request to withdraw the rules and Greenpeace has said that it would file a lawsuit at the EU’s top court in April, on grounds including that the CO2 emissions limits for gas power plants are too loose for the EU to achieve its climate goals.
“We will fight this fake green label in court,” Greenpeace campaigner Ariadna Rodrigo said.
Four other groups – WWF, Friends of the Earth Germany, Transport & Environment and ClientEarth – said on Thursday that they were considering their next steps after they had also requested Brussels withdraw the green label for gas.
However, a spokesperson at the Commission said the EU had assessed the claims and concluded that its green finance rules did not contravene environmental law.
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“The Commission will not amend the Complementary Delegated Act,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying, adding that the rules labelled gas and nuclear investments as green under “strict conditions” that will be reviewed every three years.
“This aligns with our pathway to net zero, where gas and nuclear are recognised as important parts of the transition in several Member States,” the spokesperson said.
The EU rules, known as the “taxonomy”, aim to provide a gold standard for sustainable investing. However, it became a subject of controversy last year, thereby leading to a fierce debate between EU member states.
Some countries including Spain and Denmark had argued it was not credible to label gas, a CO2-emitting fossil fuel, as climate-friendly while Poland and Bulgaria were among those who sought rules supporting investments in gas, to help them quit more-polluting coal but failed to say anything on how it should be labelled.
The EU’s debate over whether to use gas as a “bridge” fuel between coal and renewable energy has intensified after Europe’s former top gas supplier Russia slashed supplies last year, following its invasion of Ukraine.
The EU rules do not ban investments in activities without a green label but restrict which ones can be labelled as sustainable in a system designed to make truly climate-friendly activities more visible and attractive to investors.
Story was adapted from Reuters.
