BERLIN (HPD) — The Austrian government has filed a lawsuit in the European Union court over plans by the bloc’s executive branch to label nuclear and natural gas power generation as sustainable.
Austrian Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler warned that the move could “green label” nuclear power and gas despite the environmental damage they cause.
The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, plans to add certain nuclear and gas plants next year to a list that helps investors determine which projects are sustainable.
Gewessler said that the disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima showed that nuclear power plants had “incalculable risks.” Meanwhile, the burning of natural gas, a fossil fuel, adds greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, fueling climate change.
A dozen environmental groups have already launched legal challenges to the Commission’s plans.