EU warned that natural gas is not entirely clean: media
Environmental law firm ClientEarth said the European Union would run afoul of its own rules if it opted to label natural gas investments as “green,” the Reuters news service reported October 6.
The European Union is putting the final touches on a climate portion of sustainable financing classification meant to drive private capital toward clean energy alternatives. A letter sent to the EU by ClientEarth suggested that categorising natural gas as a clean alternative would violate bloc-wide laws, including its own greenhouse gas emission goals.
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“If it were adopted, this is likely to increase investments in activities utilising natural gas and would be in total contradiction with the commitments undertaken by the European Commission both at international and EU level,” Reuters quoted the letter as reading.
While natural gas is viewed as a bridge to a cleaner future because its carbon emissions are lower than coal or crude oil, it is still a polluting fossil fuel.
The warning comes as EU leaders prepare to discuss the creation of a strategic gas reserve during the upcoming European Council summit later this month.
The EU currently lacks a coordinated policy for maintaining strategic gas reserves, with each member state having its own mechanisms in place for keeping enough gas in stock. But there are concerns of supply shortages this winter, given that reserves are at an unusually low level for this time of year
But beyond the immediate concerns over winter heating needs, ClientEarth said long-term commitments to natural gas would run against broader efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
A European Commission official told Reuters the bloc would review the latter and respond “in due time.”