A recent proposal, drawn up by the European Commission, defines certain natural gas projects as sustainable. Initially, the idea was to classify natural gas combustion as contributing to the transition to sustainable energy and heat generation if a maximum of 100 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour is released. But the current proposal allows a limit of 270 grams CO2 for certain natural gas projects.

Public appeal
That is why Peter Blom has signed a public appeal from the World Wildlife Fund on behalf of Triodos Bank to keep the taxonomy truly sustainable. Some 225 scientists, financial institutions and NGOs have committed themselves to this call. Previously, Triodos Investment Management also drew attention to the worrying developments surrounding taxonomy. And we have also brought our views to the attention of European officials.

Climate goals
Classifying fossil gas projects as sustainable does not bring the climate goals any closer. In the Paris Climate Agreement, the EU member states have agreed to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030. In the Netherlands, the aim is to achieve a 49 percent reduction by 2030. We only have nine years to achieve this; there is no more time to continue to use environmentally polluting natural gas, arguing that it is classified as sustainable in the taxonomy.