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Europe Spars Over Green Label for Gas and Nuclear Plants

  • European Commission is designing sustainable investment rules
  • Taxonomy is to guide investors in the EU’s climate plan
An RWE AG nuclear power plant stands on the bank of the River Rhine in Biblis, Germany.

An RWE AG nuclear power plant stands on the bank of the River Rhine in Biblis, Germany.

Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg
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The European Union proposal to classify investment in some natural-gas and nuclear projects as sustainable exposed deep divisions among member states, underscoring the challenges facing the bloc as it reaches for an ambitious climate-neutrality goal.

Green politicians in Austria and Luxembourg criticized the draft measure, saying it could damage the credibility of the new rulebook and threaten to divert investment away from renewables. Yet the biggest political group in the European Parliament threw its weight behind the plan, saying it would help accelerate emissions reductions.