EU continues to classify nuclear energy as green energy after EU General Court rejects challenge
The EU General Court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Austria challenging EU policies regarding the 'green' status of nuclear and natural gas, raising concerns that the ruling could lead to huge investments in projects that are not generally considered 'green.'
EU court ruling keeps nuclear and gas as sustainable investments | AP News
EU court rejects Austrian case against nuclear, gas in EU green finance list | Euractiv
https://www.euractiv.com/news/eu-court-rejects-austrian-case-against-nuclear-gas-in-eu-green-finance-list/
Top European court rules nuclear power can be green – POLITICO
https://www.politico.eu/article/top-european-court-rules-nuclear-power-green/
The EU has classified and defined 'environmentally sustainable economic activities' in the 'EU Taxonomy' to clarify them, and is promoting 'green,' or environmentally friendly, investments.
EU taxonomy for sustainable activities - European Commission
https://finance.ec.europa.eu/sustainable-finance/tools-and-standards/eu-taxonomy-sustainable-activities_en
Generally, in the energy sector, 'green' refers to green energy produced from solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, marine, biomass, etc. , but the EU taxonomy also considers nuclear power and natural gas to be 'green.'
European Parliament backs proposal to classify natural gas and nuclear energy as 'green energy' - GIGAZINE
In 2023, Austria filed a lawsuit against the European Commission over this issue. Leonore Gewessler, Austria's Minister of Climate and Energy at the time, argued, 'This is an attempt to 'greenwash' nuclear and natural gas by taking advantage of the law. It is irresponsible and unreasonable. We believe that it is also legally problematic.' Luxembourg also supported the lawsuit.
The General Court of the EU has now rejected Austria's arguments in the lawsuit.
WePlanet, a grassroots climate action group, released a statement expressing its joy at the ruling, saying, 'The court has recognized nuclear power as a clean energy source.' WePlanet was recognized by the court as an official intervenor for Greenpeace, the environmental group that brought the lawsuit.
EU Court Rules Nuclear Energy is Clean Energy
'The European Parliament's inclusion of nuclear energy in the taxonomy for sustainable economic activities was a major victory for science and good news for me and my generation. However, it was a huge shock when Greenpeace, one of the world's leading environmental organizations, sued the EU to remove nuclear energy from this important investment list,' said WePlanet, which was officially admitted to the lawsuit by the court and made its case to protect nuclear energy and the climate.
It has been pointed out that WePlanet is funded by hedge funds that have large investments in fossil fuels.
Climate groups accept millions from charity linked to fossil fuel investments | Fossil fuels | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/30/climate-groups-accept-millions-from-charity-linked-to-fossil-fuel-investments-quadrature-climate-foundation
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