The European Union unveiled how it plans to label investments in some gas and nuclear projects as sustainable, a move that has divided member states as the energy transition collides with political reality.
The European Commission is announcing its proposal Wednesday in Brussels, which will then be scrutinized by national governments.
The move has triggered concerns among investors over the risk of greenwashing, and politicians in some countries criticized the draft, saying it could damage the credibility of the EU’s new rules and divert money away from renewables.
The draft underscored deep divisions among member states. The Netherlands and Denmark oppose including natural gas because they don’t rely on such plants, while Germany — which is phasing out nuclear — criticized the green label for atomic power.
But those opposing it may find it hard to block, as EU law requires at least 20 member states to reject the plan for that to happen.
The label system is being closely watched by investors to know what projects will count as green, and could potentially attract billions of euros in private finance to aid the shift to a low-carbon economy.
The challenge is ensuring that the decision on nuclear and gas gets enough political support, at a time when some lobbies say those forms of energy shouldn’t be included at all.
“At the absolute minimum, the Commission should tighten the draft criteria to reflect the full impact of gas and nuclear energy on climate and environment and strengthen the governance rules to prevent greenwashing,” said Johannes Schroeter, a policy adviser at the E3G environmental think tank.
“It would be unacceptable if nothing changes or the criteria are loosened further.”
SOME OF THE COMMISSION’S PROPOSALS:
Gas projects replacing coal and emitting no more than 270 grams of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt-hour can get a temporary green label, or if annual emissions of the activity don’t exceed an average of 550 kilograms per kilowatt-hour over 20 years.
Such plants would have to obtain construction permits by 2030 and have plans to switch to renewable or low-carbon gases by the end of 2035.
Nuclear is eligible if new plants that are granted construction permits by 2045 meet the criteria to avoid significant harm to the environment and water resources.
Funds need to enhance disclosures to investors on nuclear and gas holdings under the taxonomy.
The EU in April announced the first set of criteria for green investments that will allow producers of rechargeable batteries, energy efficiency equipment, low-emission cars, wind and solar plants to earn a formal green label.
It delayed the decision on nuclear and gas projects amid concerns about their inclusion. …snip…
It’ll be hard for the European Parliament and member states in the EU Council to reject the Commission’s taxonomy proposal. Neither has the right to propose amendments — they can only block it if they get enough votes.
Read rest at Bloomberg
Fossil fuels, coal, oil, and gas, are THE ONLY GREEN ENERGY. Here’s why… The EU continues to demonstrate its complete ignorance of CO2 and its relationship to the environment, energy, and climate. They have quadrupled their energy costs and brought multiple tens of thousands of energy poverty deaths back to some of the richest countries in the world. They have done it through the most regressive indoctrination that more CO2 is a bad thing. School children are actually being taught the lie that their lives will be cut short because of more CO2. (and NOT TAUGHT that CO2 is the molecular foundation of all life on earth!) IT IS THE BIGGEST LIE EVER TOLD TO SCHOOLCHILDREN AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. AND THEY CALL THIS REGRESSIVE LIE “PROGRESSIVE”! In reality, it is the most regressive lie an uneducated, activist-educated journalism and grade school education has ever spewed. It is regressive indoctrination. First, the living part of the environment, life itself, IS MADE FROM CO2. Through the photosynthetic metabolism that is the basis of life itself. Its formula is sunlight plus CO2 plus water, with the help of the green pigmented enzyme chlorophyll, which literally paints the environment green. It produces all of life’s carbon. All of life’s energy. And all of our atmosphere’s breathable oxygen. And when we use fossil fuels, coal, oil, and gas, to make us the best fed, longest-living, most prosperous human beings that have ever existed, we recycle the two most important molecular ingredients for life on earth – CO2 and H2O. In one of the biggest understatements science has ever made, it is called the science of CO2 fertility. Barry Bateman, farmer and B.Sc. Advanced (biology)
Well said and written!