Bellona’s takeaways from the Certification Methodologies under the CRCF
In April 2024, the European Parliament approved the preliminary agreement of the Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF). Building on this,&nbs...
News
Publish date: November 16, 2021
News
Olaf Scholz
Federal Minister of Finance
and Vice Chancellor
11016 Berlin
Germany
Open letter
Please save the Green Deal: Take action to prevent nuclear energy and fossil gas from being labelled as green
Dear Federal Minister,
We are extremely concerned by the announcement of the European Commission’s President, Ursula von der Leyen, to likely label both nuclear energy and fossil gas as sustainable in the context of the EU’s taxonomy. According to media coverage, it was the absence of a strong German voice against nuclear in the European Council on 21/22 October that directly contributed to this decision. In your role as current finance minister and future Chancellor, we call on you to swiftly and decisively confirm the German veto against labelling nuclear as a sustainable form of energy and highlight that the Commission’s attempt to shape this discussion during the sensitive time of a new government being formed in Germany is not acceptable.
The EU taxonomy regulation is meant to provide guidelines for the necessary future-oriented investments for Europe’s economic transition. Nuclear energy, however, is unsustainable due to severe safety risks, environmental pollution and the unsolved waste problem. Fossil gas emits large quantities of climate-damaging greenhouse gases, especially methane, along its extraction and transport chain. Granting nuclear and fossil gas the label of sustainability would undermine the EU’s climate targets, divert much-needed investments in the green transition and jeopardize the credibility of the entire European Green Deal.
Dear Federal Minister, Germany has embarked upon a clear path to phase out nuclear power by the end of next year. NGOs from across Europe count on you to take an equally clear stance against nuclear energy but also fossil gas at the European level.
Yours sincerely
France Nature Environnement, France
CEE Bankwatch Network
European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
The Green Tank, Greece
Umanotera – Slovenian Foundation for Sustainable Development, Slovenia
Umweltinstitut München e.V., Germany
Socio-ecological union international
Climate Strategy Group
Andy Gheorghiu Consulting, Germany
Green Liberty, Latvia
BürgerBegehren Klimaschutz
Bürgerbewegung Finanzwende, Germany
AnsvarligFremtid, Denmark
Klimabevægelsen i Danmark (350 Denmark), Denmark
Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V., Germany
BirdLife Europe
uranium-network.org, Germany
eco-union, Spain
Mouvement Ecologique (FoE-Luxembourg), Luxemburg
urgewald, Germany
.ausgestrahlt, Germany
350.org Europe
Deutscher Naturschutzring, Germany
Stowarzyszenie Pracownia na rzecz Wszystkich Istot, Poland
Legambiente, Italy
Carbon Market Watch
Health and Environment Justice Support (HEJSupport)
Counter Balance
ZERO – Association for the Sustainability of the Earth System, Portugal
Clean Air Action Group, Hungary
Alofa Tuvalu, Tuvalu
Réseau pour la transition énergétique CLER, France
Creatura Think & Do Tank, Finland
Women Against Nuclear Power, Finland
Women for Peace, Finland
The Alliance of the Associations Polish Green Network, Poland
FMKK – The Swedish Anti Nuclear Movement, Sweden
Polish Ecological Club Mazovian Branch, Poland
Stowarzyszenie Ekologiczne EKO-UNIA, Poland
Stowarzyszenie Ekologiczno-Kulturalne “Wspólna Ziemia”, Poland
Arbeitskreis Indianer Nordamerikas, Austria
EuroNatur Stiftung, Germany
Our Fish
E3G – Third Generation Environmentalism
Bioland e.V., Germany
Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V., Germany
Germanwatch e.V., Germany
Fair Finance International
National Society of Conservationists – Friends of the Earth Hungary, Hungary
Nucléaire Stop Kernenergie – Belgium
Tegengas/Dégaze – Belgium
IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), German affiliate, Germany
Urgenda Foundation, The Netherlands
Focus Association for Sustainable Development, Slovenia
Milieudefensie, The Netherlands
Za Zemiata/Friends of the Earth Bulgaria, Bulgaria
Fair Finance Guide, Sweden
Corporate Europe Observatory
Jihočeské matky, z.s., Czech Republic
WEED e.V. – World Economy, Ecology and Development, Germany
ShareAction
Global Witness
Reclaim Finance, France
Fossielvrij NL, The Netherlands
Bürgerinitiative “Kein Atommüll in Ahaus” e.V., Germany
The Peace Movement of Orust, Sweden
Global Nature Fund, Germany
Climate Action Network International
Transport & Environment
NewClimate Institute gGmbH, Germany
Miljöringen lovisa Finland
Réaction en chaîne humaine pour l’arrêt du nucléaire France
Calla – Association for Preservation of the Environment, Czech republic
Réseau “Sortir du nucléaire”, France
BI “Stoppt Temelin”, Germany
GLOBAL 2000 – Friends of the Earth Austria, Austria
Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto (Finnish Association for Nature Conservation), Finland
Forum Ökologie & Papier, Germany
Plattform gegen Atomgefahren Salzburg (PLAGE), Austria
Gas Free Pensions, Europe
Réseau Action Climat France
PSR / IPPNW Switzerland (Physicians for Social Respon
sibility /International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War)
Greenpeace
Begegnungszentrum für Aktive Gewaltlosigkeit, Austria
Hiilivapaa Suomi, Finland
Food & Water Action Europe, Europe
International Network for Sustainable Energy – Europe
ReCommon, Italy
Inter-Environnement Wallonie, Belgique
Campagna “Per il Clima Fuori dal Fossile”, Italy
Movimento No TAP/SNAM Brindisi, Italy
Redazione emergenzaclimatica.it, Italy
BankTrack, the Netherlands
TerraBlu, Italy
Bellona Europa, Belgium
Bellona Deutschland, Germany
Forum Ambientalista O.d.V., Italy
Climate Action Network, Europe
Associazione Tarantola Rubra, Italy
Friends of the Earth, Europe
Trivelle Zero Molise, Italy
Environmental Coalition on Standards, Belgium
Collettivo No al Fossile Civitavecchia, Italy
WWF Forlì-Cesena, Italy
Coordinamento ravennate Fuori dal Fossile, Italy
The Swedish Anti-Nuclear Movement, Branch Gävle, Sweden
NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark
Wiener Plattform Atomkraftfrei, Austria
Parents For Future Vienna, Austria
Trivelle Zero Marche, Italy
Parents for Future Gütersloh, Germany
A Sud, Italy
European Alliance for the Self-determination of Indigenous Peoples, Austria/France/Germany/Switzerland
Mom Loves Taiwan
Forum Ökologisch-Soziale Marktwirtschaft e.V., Germany
WISE Netherlands
atomstopp_atomkraftfrei leben!, Austria
Freistädter Mütter gegen Atomgefahr, Austria
Grandparents For Future Austria
Parents For Future Oberösterreich, Austria
Frauen für den Frieden Schweiz
Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) e.V – Friends of the Earth Germany, Germany
International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA International), Liechtenstein
Rete “Legalità per il clima”, Europe
Collectif anti-nucléaire Ouest, France
Fédération anti-nucléaire Bretagne, France
GasExit
Greenpeace, Russia
In April 2024, the European Parliament approved the preliminary agreement of the Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF). Building on this,&nbs...
The U.S. election results mean that the EU must take on the global leadership role in climate action and significantly strengthen the defense of Euro...
In a newly released open letter, Bellona joined other environmental groups and industry representatives in urging COP29 leaders and key UN officials ...
The political direction set by President von der Leyen and the early parliamentarydebates reveal a concerning shift: tackling the climate, biodiversi...
Get our latest news