"Hydrogen power"

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Climate emergency ten-point action plan

1. Overall aim and priority

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2. Global strategy: Limit further emissions to 400 billion tonnes CO2

Global strategy: Limit further emissions to 400 billion tonnes CO2

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Allocation of the global CO2 budget between countries
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5b. Media deficiencies

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5c. Campaigning deficiencies

Ineffective campaigning Friends of the Earth: Climate denial 1: Court case 2022 Friends of the Earth: Climate denial 2: Response to CCC annual report 2023 Fridays for Future: Consistent with the IPCC Climate Uncensored: Consistent with the IPCC Campaign against Climate Change: Consistent with the IPCC Ethical Consumer Magazine: Climate denial Climate Emergency UK: Climate denial Client Earth: Climate denial Sustrans: Climate denial

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False solutions to be avoided

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Individuals Reduce your carbon footprint: at least 10% per year

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Action needed

'Hydrogen power' is not the answer

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The climate crisis and what to do about it

Climate change: the basics Simple solutions for the climate crisis, which should have been implemented already

Action needed

Local government: Make walking safe Organisations

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Decline in UK domestic aviation Decline of domestic aviation in Sweden

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Performance assessments

BEIS is not telling the truth on carbon emissions Transport for the North: Failing on the climate crisis Steve Rotheram: failing on the climate crisis Wirral Council's emission reduction trajectory

"Hydrogen power"

Hydrogen is an energy carrier rather than an energy source.

"Hydrogen power" is a misnomer as there is no naturally occuring hydrogen on earth, and any hydrogen that we use has to be generated using energy of some kind.

Currently, most hydrogen is generated using a fossil fuel (usually natural gas), although there is a potential for hydrogen to be generated from a renewable energy source.

So hydrogen has to be regarded as an energy carrier rather than as an energy source, akin to batteries. Whether to use batteries or hydrogen in any situation is a question of economics and weight.

Despite these limitations to the role of hydrogen, many individuals and groups are talking or acting as if hydrogen is a solution to the climate crisis. For example, the Metro-mayor of Merseyside makes repeated references to "hydrogen powered buses" as a major part of the city-region's climate plan - see https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/liverpool-city-region-launches-6-4m-hydrogen-bus-project/.

First published: Feb 2020
Last updated: 9 Feb 2020