Environmental groups are suing the EU for classifying nuclear power and gas as sustainable. The EU eco-label is false labeling.
Luxembourg – Greenpeace and several other environmental organizations are today filing a lawsuit against the European Commission against the EU eco-label for nuclear power and gas in the General Court in Luxembourg. Environmentalists also want to demonstrate in front of the courthouse against the EU classification of nuclear power and gas as “sustainable” – they criticize “greenwashing” of non-renewable energies.
Eco-labels for nuclear power and gas: EU taxonomy
The lawsuit by Greenpeace, BUND, the WWF and other environmental organizations is directed against the so-called EU taxonomy: a kind of European seal of approval for sustainable financial products. The EU classification system is intended to provide orientation for financial investors and contribute to the environmentally friendly restructuring of the economy. Since the beginning of 2023, the EU has also classified nuclear power and gas as green and sustainable – investments in gas or nuclear power plants are therefore rated as climate-friendly under certain conditions. The inclusion of gas and atom as sustainable energies was heavily criticized in advance.
EU eco-label for nuclear power and gas
The EU Taxonomy Regulation is a system for classifying sustainable, environmentally friendly financial activities – i.e. a kind of EU eco-label for energy products. Investments in nuclear power plants can be classified as sustainable if the plants meet the latest technology standards and a concrete plan for the disposal of the highly radioactive waste is presented by 2050. The classification of gas-fired power plants depends on how much greenhouse gases are emitted and whether the plants can also be operated with green hydrogen or low-carbon gas by 2035 at the latest.
Nina Treu, Managing Director of Greenpeace Germany, criticizes: “The EU Commission must not disguise the problem as a solution. Nuclear and gas cannot be sustainable”. The EU’s eco-label gives gas and nuclear power access to funds that would otherwise flow into renewable energies. “Green money must not be misused for industries that led us to the natural and climate crisis in the first place,” said Greenpeace. In addition, nuclear power is “neither an aid in the transition to greenhouse gas neutrality nor free of significant environmental risks,” says climate advocate Dr. Roda Verheyen, representing Greenpeace in the proceedings.
Lawsuit against EU eco-label for natural gas
BUND, WWF and other environmental organizations are filing a separate lawsuit against the EU eco-label for natural gas at the Court of Justice of the European Union alongside Greenpeace. “Supposed climate protection through fraudulent labeling is unacceptable,” said BUND chairman Olaf Bandt. “With the decision to classify fossil natural gas as climate-friendly, the EU Commission has stepped on very thin ice, both factually and legally.”
Austria had previously sued against the EU eco-label for nuclear power and gas. The decision to include the two energy sources in the EU taxonomy as sustainable and environmentally friendly is considered a typical EU compromise: France, which continues to cling to nuclear power, had advocated its inclusion in the eco-classification and Germany in turn for gas, which is used for German industry plays an important role. (kasa/dpa/AFP)
#Greenwashing #Environmental #groups #sue #ecolabels