Exclusion of natural gas activities from the EU Taxonomy Regulation

ClientEarth argues that classifying natural gas as sustainable under the EU Taxonomy Regulation would violate the Paris Agreement, the European Climate Law, and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The organization contends that natural gas activities do not meet the 'climate change mitigation' criteria because they increase greenhouse gas emissions, particularly when methane leakages are considered. Furthermore, ClientEarth asserts that natural gas cannot be a 'transition' measure as feasible low-carbon alternatives exist and such investments risk locking in carbon-intensive assets and diverting funds from renewable energy.

• Natural gas activities fail the 'climate change mitigation' criteria of the Taxonomy Regulation because they increase greenhouse gas emissions rather than contributing to their stabilisation.
• Natural gas cannot be justified as a 'transition' measure under Article 10(2) of the Taxonomy Regulation because technologically and economically feasible low-carbon alternatives are widely available.
• Methane leakages during extraction and transportation can make the overall greenhouse gas emissions of new natural gas plants equivalent to or higher than those of coal-fired plants.
• Investment in natural gas infrastructure risks 'locking in' carbon-intensive assets due to the long lifespan of such facilities and diverts limited financial resources away from renewable energy.
• A leaked March 2021 draft of the taxonomy climate delegated act is criticized for ignoring methane leakages and focusing only on 'direct GHG emissions' of facilities.

APA

ClientEarth (2021). Exclusion of natural gas activities from the EU Taxonomy Regulation. https://www.clientearth.org/media/pk5n2ov4/october-2021_clientearth_gas-eu-taxonomy_letter.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Exclusion of natural gas activities from the EU Taxonomy Regulation. 2021. https://www.clientearth.org/media/pk5n2ov4/october-2021_clientearth_gas-eu-taxonomy_letter.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Exclusion of natural gas activities from the EU Taxonomy Regulation |date=5 October 2021 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/pk5n2ov4/october-2021_clientearth_gas-eu-taxonomy_letter.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2021exclusion, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Exclusion of natural gas activities from the EU Taxonomy Regulation}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/pk5n2ov4/october-2021_clientearth_gas-eu-taxonomy_letter.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }