Uh-oh. It’s going to leave an impression. On Joe Biden, the Democrat Party, and the wingnut crazies of the “existential threat of our time,” that is. Popcorn, rational and independent-thinking RedStaters.
As the histrionic “green energy” drive on the looney left continues to spin out of control with reckless abandon, Reuters now reports that the European Union — of all smug, clueless organizations — has drawn up plans to label at least some natural gas and nuclear energy projects as “green” investments after a year-long battle between governments over which investments are truly climate-friendly and which are not.
EU drafts plan to label gas and nuclear investments as green https://t.co/OVMfnKA9ru pic.twitter.com/xXiwl65Yv5
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 1, 2022
So here’s the scoop — part of it, anyway.
Europe, like the rest of the world, has been struggling to meet the nonsensical “green energy” goals demanded and agreed to during last year’s ridiculous UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. Incidentally, while Biden crowed about the summit, even CBS News blistered it as “failed,” as we reported in November. As we also reported, China mocked Biden for his “weakness” in kowtowing to the crazy.
Fossil fuel analysts in the industry warned at the time that full conversion to wind and solar power and the total abandonment of fossil fuels would be a disaster — unable to produce sufficient energy to meet demands. “Shockingly,” the experts’ warnings proved true when Germany, one of the agreement’s signatories, was forced in April to restart coal-fired plants after the lights started going out at night, as reported by Blackout News (in German).
The government-mandated coal elimination forced 11 coal-fired power plant with a combined total of 4.7 GW to close on January 1, 2021. However, the coal phase-out lasted just 8 days. After that several power stations had to be connected to the grid because of a prolonged period with low winds.
Bummer, huh? And who knew the wind didn’t blow 24×7, 365 days a year? [Rolling-eyes emoji]
Germany has learned its lessons. Just kidding. This tweet was posted on Saturday
Germany, together with two other countries, will be retiring the largest and most productive nuclear reactors in the world. Germany also uses more coal than any other European country. UK can choose to follow a different course.
Auch der lieber!
Germany, together with two other countries, will be retiring the largest and most productive nuclear reactors in the world. Germany also uses more coal than any other European country. UK can choose to follow a different course. #netzeroneedsnuclearhttps://t.co/00uWSdhp5x
— Nuclear Industry Association (@NIAUK) December 31, 2021
Here’s a bit of background, via Reuters.
The European Commission is expected to propose rules in January deciding whether gas and nuclear projects will be included in the EU “sustainable finance taxonomy”.
These are the economic activities that must be met in order to qualify as green investments.
By restricting the “green” label to truly climate-friendly projects, the system aims to make those investments more attractive to private capital, and stop “greenwashing”, where companies or investors overstate their eco-friendly credentials.
Brussels is also moving to apply the system for some EU funding. The rules may determine which projects will be eligible to receive certain public finance.
Reuters said it has seen a draft of the commission’s proposal, which would label nuclear power plant investments as “green” if a project has a plan, funds, and a site to safely dispose of radioactive waste. New nuclear plants — to be deemed “green” — must receive construction permits before 2045.
Investments in natural gas power plants would also be deemed green if they produce emissions below 270g of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) — I have no idea how to interpret that — and replace a more-polluting fossil fuel plant,In addition to obtaining a permit for construction by December 31, 2030, you can also plan to change to low-carbon gasesBy 2035.
OK so we get the need to reverse course — we got it before the silly climate summit agreements were announced — but how does the ever-smug EU justify its plan among the looney tunes on the left? Easy: it slapped an “acceptable” label on the plan, as Reuters noted — transitional.
Gas and nuclear power generation would be labeled green on the grounds that they are “transitional” activities — defined as those that are not fully sustainable, but which have emissions below industry average and do not lock in polluting assets.
According to Reuters, the EU stated in a statement:
Based on scientific evidence and technological advancements, as well as the varying challenges faced by member countries during transition, the Commission believes there’s a place for natural gas or nuclear to assist in the transition to a largely renewable-based future.
Here’s the thing, as even the irrelevant independent left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore suggested in April 2020 in reference to the documentary Planet of the Humans So-called “green” energy is neither “green” nor energy.
Meanwhile, Don Quixote, the ghost, is working at La Mancha’s windmills.
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