On Wednesday, the European Parliament backed EU rules classifying investments in gas and nuclear power plants as climate-friendly, thereby rejecting an attempt to block legislation that has exposed deep divisions among nations regarding how to combat climate change.

The vote has paved the way for the adoption of the European Union's proposal, unless 20 of the bloc's 27 member states decide to oppose the move, which is considered highly unlikely.

The new rules provide for the inclusion of gas and nuclear power plants in the EU "taxonomy" rulebook from 2023, allowing investments in these sectors to be labelled and marketed as environmentally friendly. Of the 639 MEPs present, 328 voted against the proposal that aimed to block the EU's recommendations for the gas and nuclear energy sectors. The European Commission has welcomed this result. (...)
Photo by Donal Boyd