LETTER
Olaf Scholz Federal Minister of Finance and Vice Chancellor 11016 Berlin Germany
Please save the Green Deal: Take action to prevent nuclear energy and fossil gas from being labelled as green
Berlin/Brussels, 15 November 2021
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,
1. .ausgestrahlt, Germany 2. 350.org Europe 3. A Sud, Italy 4. Alofa Tuvalu, Tuvalu 5. Andy Gheorghiu Consulting, Germany 6. Associazione Tarantola Rubra, Italy 7. atomstopp_atomkraftfrei leben!, Austria 8. BankTrack, The Netherlands 9. Begegnungszentrum für Aktive Gewaltlosigkeit, Austria 10. Bellona Deutschland, Germany 11. Bellona Europa 12. BI “Stoppt Temelin”, Germany 13. Bioland e.V., Germany 14. BirdLife Europe 15. Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) e.V. – Friends of the Earth Germany, Germany 16. BürgerBegehren Klimaschutz, Germany 17. Bürgerbewegung Finanzwende, Germany 18. AnsvarligFremtid, Denmark 19. Klimabevægelsen i Danmark – 350 Denmark, Denmark 20. Bürgerinitiative “Kein Atommüll in Ahaus” e.V., Germany 21. Calla – Association for Preservation of the Environment, Czech Republic 22. Campagna “Per il Clima Fuori dal Fossile”, Italy 23. Carbon Market Watch 24. CEE Bankwatch Network 25. Clean Air Action Group, Hungary 26. Climate Action Network Europe 27. Climate Action Network International 28. Climate Strategy Group 29. Collectif anti-nucléaire Ouest, France 30. Collettivo No al Fossile Civitavecchia, Italy 31. Coordinamento ravennate Fuori dal Fossile, Italy 32. Corporate Europe Observatory 33. Counter Balance 34. Creatura Think & Do Tank, Finland 35. Der Arbeitskreis Indianer Nordamerikas, Austria 36. Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V., Germany 37. Deutscher Naturschutzring e.V., Germany 38. E3G – Third Generation Environmentalism 39. eco-union, Spain 40. Environmental Coalition on Standards 41. EuroNatur Stiftung, Germany 42. European Alliance for the Self-determination of Indigenous Peoples, Austria/France/Germany/Switzerland 43. European Environmental Bureau 44. Fair Finance Guide, Sweden 45. Fair Finance International 46. Fédération anti-nucléaire Bretagne, France 47. FMKK – The Swedish Anti Nuclear Movement, Sweden 48. Focus Association for Sustainable Development, Slovenia 49. Food & Water Action Europe 50. Forum Ambientalista O.d.V., Italy 51. Forum Ökologie & Papier, Germany 52. Forum Ökologisch-Soziale Marktwirtschaft e.V., Germany 53. Fossielvrij NL, The Netherlands 54. France Nature Environnement, France 55. Frauen für den Frieden Schweiz, Switzerland 56. Freistädter Mütter gegen Atomgefahr, Austria 57. Friends of the Earth Europe 58. Gas Free Pensions 59. GasExit, Germany 60. Germanwatch e.V., Germany 61. GLOBAL 2000 – Friends of the Earth Austria, Austria 62. Global Nature Fund, Germany 63. Global Witness 64. Grandparents For Future Austria, Austria 65. Green Liberty, Latvia 66. Greenpeace Belgium, Belgium 67. Greenpeace France, France 68. Greenpeace Germany, Germany 69. Health and Environment Justice Support 70. Hiilivapaa Suomi, Finland 71. Inter-Environnement Wallonie, Belgium 72. International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, Liechtenstein 73. International Network for Sustainable Energy 74. IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), Germany 75. Jihočeské matky, z.s., Czech Republic 76. Legambiente, Italy 77. Milieudefensie, The Netherlands 78. Miljöringen lovisa Finland 79. Mom Loves Taiwan, Taiwan 80. Mouvement Ecologique – Friends of the Earth Luxemburg, Luxemburg 81. Movimento No TAP/SNAM Brindisi, Italy 82. National Society of Conservationists – Friends of the Earth Hungary, Hungary 83. Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V., Germany 84. NewClimate Institute gGmbH, Germany 85. NOAH – Friends of the Earth Denmark, Denmark 86. Nucléaire Stop Kernenergie, Belgium 87. Our Fish 88. Parents for Future Gütersloh, Germany 89. Parents For Future Oberösterreich, Austria 90. Parents For Future Vienna, Austria 91. Plattform gegen Atomgefahren Salzburg (PLAGE), Austria 92. Polish Ecological Club Mazovian Branch, Poland 93. PSR / IPPNW Switzerland (Physicians for Social Responsibility /International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), Switzerland 94. Réaction en chaîne humaine pour l’arrêt du nucléaire, France 95. Reclaim Finance, France 96. ReCommon, Italy 97. Redazione emergenzaclimatica.it, Italy 98. Réseau “Sortir du nucléaire”, France 99. Réseau Action Climat France, France 100. Réseau pour la transition énergétique CLER, France 101. Rete “Legalità per il clima”, Italy 102. ShareAction 103. Socio-ecological union international 104. Stowarzyszenie Ekologiczne EKO-UNIA, Poland 105. Stowarzyszenie Ekologiczno-Kulturalne “Wspólna Ziemia”, Poland 106. Stowarzyszenie Pracownia na rzecz Wszystkich Istot, Poland 107. Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto – Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, Finland 108. Tegengas/Dégaze, Belgium 109. TerraBlu, Italy 110. The Alliance of the Associations Polish Green Network, Poland 111. The Green Tank, Greece 112. The Peace Movement of Orust, Sweden 113. The Swedish Anti-Nuclear Movement, Branch Gävle, Sweden 114. Transport & Environment 115. Trivelle Zero Marche, Italy 116. Trivelle Zero Molise, Italy 117. Umanotera – Slovenian Foundation for Sustainable Development, Slovenia 118. Umweltinstitut München e.V., Germany 119. uranium-network.org, Germany 120. Urgenda Foundation, The Netherlands 121. urgewald, Germany 122. WEED e.V. – World Economy, Ecology and Development, Germany 123. Wiener Plattform Atomkraftfrei, Austria 124. WISE Netherlands, The Netherlands 125. Women Against Nuclear Power, Finland 126. Women for Peace, Finland 127. WWF Forlì-Cesena, Italy 128. Za Zemiata – Friends of the Earth Bulgaria, Bulgaria 129. ZERO – Association for the Sustainability of the Earth System, Portugal
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