The European Parliament on Wednesday approved the inclusion of gas and nuclear energy among environmentally acceptable energy sources, despite warnings by associations and scientists that gas produces huge emissions and nuclear energy produces highly radioactive waste.

In February, the European Commission proposed that gas and nuclear energy be included in a list of environmentally acceptable energy sources, which was strongly opposed by environmental protection associations, calling on the European Parliament and Council to reject the act.

Today, MEPs rejected the motion to oppose the inclusion of nuclear and gas energy activities in the list of environmentally sustainable economic activities.

In a press release issued in June, the European Parliament said that MEPs opposed the Commission’s plan to include gas and nuclear energy in environmentally sustainable activities, but despite this, the EP now backed the Commission’s proposal. Of the 639 MEPs taking part in the vote, 278 voted against, while 328 were in favour of the Commission’s act, and 33 abstained.

An absolute majority of 353 MEPs was needed to reject the new EU rules for green investments.

The Taxonomy Delegated Act is part of the Commission’s action plan on financing sustainable growth, and the Commission said it aimed to boost green investments and prevent “greenwashing”.

“Although the Parliament opposed the Commission’s plan, it supported it now because the situation with energy is changing from day to day. You’ve seen the prices, the entire situation. All of that has greatly affected today’s vote,” Croatian MEP Valter Flego of the Renew Europe Group told the Croatian state news agency Hina.

As for the warnings from associations and scientists, Flego said this should be only a transitional period and that a compromise was necessary for the security of energy supply.