EU project on investment in gas, nuclear energy draws criticism

[ad_1]

BRUSSELS – The European Union’s draft plans that would allow nuclear and gas energy to continue to be part of the bloc’s path to a climate-friendly future were the subject of immediate criticism over the weekend of the share of environmentalists and certain political parties in power in EU member countries.

In the draft conclusions consulted by the Associated Press, the EU Executive Board proposes a classification system to define what counts as an investment in sustainable energy. Under certain conditions, it would allow gas and nuclear energy to be part of the mix.

The plans would have a huge impact on nuclear economies like France and on gas-fired power plants in Germany, as they might have had to fundamentally change their strategies.

Energy consumption accounts for around 75% of greenhouse gas emissions produced in the EU and is therefore considered an essential element of the efforts of the bloc of 27 countries to meet its commitments in the fight against global warming.

The plans still need the support of a large majority of the 27 member states and a simple majority in the European Parliament. But the initial push from the European Commission is a key part of the transition process.

“Classifying investments in gas and nuclear energy as sustainable contradicts the Green Deal”, the EU initiative which aims to make the bloc climate neutral by 2050, said Ska Keller, chairman of the Greens group in the European Parliament.

France has called for nuclear energy to be included in the so-called taxonomy by the end of the year, leading the charge with several other EU countries that operate nuclear power plants and want to make it eligible for funding. green.

French European Affairs Minister Clément Beaune said the proposal was technically sound and insisted on Sunday that the bloc “cannot become carbon neutral by 2050 without nuclear power”.

Germany, the EU’s largest economy, goes the other way, with Germany shutting down half of the six nuclear power plants it still had in operation on Friday, a year before the country pulled back the curtain final on its use of atomic energy for decades.

Gas is a polluting fossil fuel, but it is still seen by the EU as a bridge technology to achieve a cleaner energy future.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck criticized plans to classify investments in gas and nuclear power plants as climate friendly.

“The European Commission’s proposals weaken the right sustainability label,” told German news agency dpa Habeck, which represents the German Green Greens in the country’s coalition government.

Habeck said he saw no way to endorse the European Commission’s new proposals.

“In any case, one can wonder if this greenwashing will even be accepted on the financial market,” he said, referring to the practice of painting investments as sustainable when they are not in reality.

In Austria, Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler of the Greens also categorically rejected the proposed regulation, saying that “the European Commission has taken a step towards greenwashing nuclear energy and fossil gas in an overnight action and fog “.

“They are harmful to the climate and the environment and destroy the future of our children,” said Gewessler.

The environmental non-governmental organization Greenpeace has called the Commission’s draft proposal a “greenwashing permit”.

“Polluting companies will be delighted to have the EU seal of approval to attract money and continue to destroy the planet by burning fossil gas and producing radioactive waste,” said Magda Stoczkiewicz of Greenpeace.

Nuclear power remains controversial in Europe, where many still remember the fear that followed the 1986 nuclear accident in Chernobyl, Ukraine.

On the flip side, nuclear power plants emit few pollutants into the air, making them an option as nations around the world seek clean energy to meet their climate change goals.

Climate activists also argue that the use of nuclear power risks slowing the deployment of renewable energy sources.

Information for this article was provided by Barbara Surk of The Associated Press.

[ad_2]