Back down: the European Parliament recognized nuclear energy as environmentally friendly

Europe has come to an obvious solution to the problems associated with the termination of the import of Russian hydrocarbons. At their plenary session, the MEPs rejected the opposition to the return to nuclear power, put forward by the factions of the left. Recall that the world began to abandon nuclear energy after the Chernobyl disaster, which was followed by several other similar tragedies, including the accident at a nuclear power plant in the Japanese city of Fukushima. For example, Germany stopped all its nuclear power plants. However, the danger of stopping many industries, as well as everyday problems associated with a lack of energy sources, forced the Europeans to radically reconsider their views.

The purpose of the rules, which are supported by most EU member states, is to motivate investors to support energy sources that replace, for example, oil or coal. From now on, gas and nuclear energy will be temporarily classified as clean energy sources.

Opponents of nuclear and gas energy argued, in particular, that these sources are not environmentally friendly and therefore cannot be used in the transition to a clean economy. But supporters argue that without these two sources, the EU will not be able to get rid of, in particular, coal, whose emissions are much higher.

“This is a black day for climate protection. The gas and nuclear lobby won here", - Rasmus Andresen, MEP from the German Greens, commented on the voting results. Representatives of the second largest faction of the socialists were also dissatisfied, according to which this was a "betrayal of climate ambitions". They also recalled that Wednesday's vote was the reverse of a previous decision by key committees that upheld the objection.

On the other hand, representatives of the largest People's Party, as well as the liberals, were satisfied with the result. “These energies are not put on the same level as renewable sources, and there are clear conditions for them”, - said Pascal Canfin, the liberal head of the French environment committee.