(CN) — Natural gas and nuclear power have long been important sources of heating and electricity in energy-hungry Europe, and they seem poised to remain at the heart of the continent's energy grids for years to come.
On Saturday, the European Commission said it wants to include nuclear power and natural gas in the bloc's official portfolio of green energy investments eligible to receive the European Union's blessing as part of its efforts to drastically reduce carbon emissions.
The proposal — leaked to news media on New Year's Eve — was met with anger by environmentalists and came only hours after Germany shuttered three of its last six nuclear reactors.
The bloc's collective efforts to tackle climate change, known as the European Green Deal, were given the seal of a legal obligation last year with the passage of a Climate Law making it mandatory for EU nations to reduce emissions.
This investment portfolio — in the EU's bureaucratic jargon it's called a “taxonomy” for financing “sustainable growth” — gives companies, investors and policymakers definitions for what economic activities are in keeping with the EU's mandates to stop global warming. The EU is looking at using the labeling system for publicly financed projects, too.
The EU hopes its taxonomy will be an incentive to stop “greenwashing,” a phenomenon where private capital, companies and governments exaggerate how ecofriendly their investments are. Ironically, the proposals were blasted by environmentalists as just that: a form of greenwashing.
A green label for nuclear and gas could help steer billions of dollars in private financing toward these activities. Critics said letting gas and nuclear a seat at the climate-friendly table will only hurt efforts to ramp up renewable energy production and keep the EU tied to dangerous energy sources.
The commission's proposals still need the backing of the European Parliament and a majority of the EU's 27 member states. A decision on whether to approve the proposals is expected before the summer, but it will no doubt stir rancorous debate about how committed the EU is in fighting global warming.
“Greenwashing and the Green Deal do not go together,” said Ska Keller, the head of the Greens group in the European Parliament, in urging fellow parliamentarians to reject the plans. “Gas and nuclear power have no place in the catalogue of criteria for sustainable investments.”
Austria, meanwhile, is threatening to sue the European Commission if nuclear and gas are allowed to become part of the taxonomy. Austria banned nuclear power in the 1970s and is strongly opposed to it.
Nonetheless, barring major disagreements or legal hurdles, the commission's blueprint should pass and become law by 2023. The commission and its more business-friendly and consensus-building views hold sway when it comes to EU rulemaking and its proposals are seldom shot down.
The plans still expose deep rifts, differences of opinion and pragmatic challenges in the EU and in its bold plans to become “climate neutral” by 2050, a target date by which the EU's economies and societies are not supposed to be adding to global warming.
Despite a big push to ramp up renewable energy production through wind turbines, solar panels and hydrogen, the commission sees nuclear and natural gas being needed for years to come.
After the proposal was leaked to news media, the commission, the EU's executive body, declined to comment pending a period of “consultations” with other EU bodies. Courthouse News obtained a copy of the proposals.
In a Saturday statement about the start of consultations, however, the commission said it found “a role for natural gas and nuclear” as a means to help the bloc “transition towards a predominantly renewable-based future.” It said it based its decision on scientific advice, advances in technology and the difficulty some EU nations face in cutting emissions.
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