Joint NGO letter – Current draft taxonomy opens ‘backdoor’ for fossil fuels
By In a joint letter signed by ECOS and 10 more European NGOs sent to the European Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, we have called on the EU leadership to modify the current draft climate taxonomy as it labels as 'sustainable' any investment made in energy infrastructure converted into hydrogen- or low carbon gas-ready.
For two years, NGOs have been calling for a science-based taxonomy. Yet, the current draft delegated act on the climate taxonomy fails to align with science on hydrogen-related activities.
We have urged the Commission to amend the draft according to the following considerations:
- Currently, over 95% of all hydrogen produced comes from fossil fuels such as gas and coal.
- “Low carbon gases” have no legal definition. In the absence of a clear meaning, the concept risks opening loopholes in the taxonomy. This term must be deleted
- The possibility of blending of hydrogen with fossil gas needs to be excluded. Blending requires a continuous supply of fossil gas.
Signatory NGOs are: CEE Bankwatch Network, ClientEarth, Climate Action Network Europe, ECOS – Environmental Coalition on Standards, EEB, Food & Water Action Europe, Global Witness, Greenpeace European Unit, Reclaim Finance, and Zero Waste Europe.
