The environmental organisation ClientEarth sent a letter to the European Commission on Tuesday 5 October, calling on it not to include fossil gas in the EU’s taxonomy, which aims to classify investments that can be considered sustainable.
While fossil gas (and nuclear) could be included in the taxonomy via the adoption of a delegated act currently in preparation (see EUROPE 12703/2), ClientEarth’s lawyers believe that the inclusion of fossil gas in the taxonomy would contradict various legal standards and commitments, including the EU Taxonomy Regulation (2020/852) itself.
In particular, the letter refers to Article 10 of the Regulation, according to which an economic activity is considered to make a substantial contribution to climate change mitigation “where it contributes substantially to the stabilisation of greenhouse gas emissions at a level that prevents dangerous anthropogenic climate change, in accordance with the Paris Agreement”.
ClientEarth also considers that fossil gas activities would not qualify as a ‘transition’ measure either, as this exception (provided for in the regulation) is only possible where there is no technologically and economically viable low-carbon alternative for the economic activity in question.
See ClientEarth’s letter and detailed arguments: https://bit.ly/3agejel (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)