Campaigners sue EU for labelling gas and nuclear investments as green

Greenpeace and other campaign groups are set to take the European Commission to court on Tuesday, seeking to overturn European Union rules that class nuclear energy and natural gas as climate-friendly investments.

The groups are targeting the EU‘s “taxonomy”, a list of investments that can be labelled and marketed as sustainable in Europe. The complex scheme aims to guide investors towards projects that support the EU‘s climate change goals.The Commission decided last year to add some gas and nuclear plants to the list – a proposal that became mired in controversy and was repeatedly delayed amid lobbying from governments who disagree on the fuels’ green credentials.In its lawsuit, Greenpeace asks the EU General Court – part of the Court of Justice of the EU – to exclude gas and nuclear from the rules.It argues the EU has violated its own climate laws, citing the CO2 emissions produced by gas power plants, and said the rules risk diverting investments away from renewable energy.A separate lawsuit, also due to be filed on Tuesday, from four campaign groups including ClientEarth and WWF, seeks to overturn the rules on gas on similar grounds.

via Reuters