The Role of Green Hydrogen in a Just Paris-Compatible Transition

The report examines the role of green hydrogen in a just energy transition, arguing that its deployment must prioritize sustainable development and decarbonisation over simple profit. It recommends that development finance institutions support the build-up of local renewable energy supply chains, integrate electrolysers into national grids to enhance electrification, and prioritise domestic industrial use of green hydrogen in the Global South over exports. Case studies of Namibia, India, and Colombia reveal inconsistent definitions of 'green' hydrogen, a tendency to target inefficient applications like road transport, and significant environmental risks such as water scarcity.

• To ensure a just transition, renewable energy infrastructure for green hydrogen should be developed in a way that allows developing countries to participate in the technology supply chain rather than relying solely on imports and international expertise.
• Integrating electrolysers and renewable energy capacities into national grids can support broader electrification and energy access, although this may reduce the return on investment compared to isolated systems, creating a gap that international finance could fill.
• Green hydrogen should be prioritised for domestic industrial development in the Global South—particularly for hard-to-abate sectors like steel, fertiliser, and mining—to maintain international competitiveness against carbon border adjustment mechanisms before pursuing exports.
• Analysis of Namibia, India, and Colombia shows that these countries have divergent and sometimes inefficient hydrogen strategies: India and Colombia target oil refining and transport sectors that could be more efficiently electrified, while India faces existing challenges with land availability and water scarcity.
• There is a lack of standardized definitions for green hydrogen across countries; for example, India sets an emission limit of 2 kgCO2/kgH2 and includes biomass-based hydrogen, while Colombia plans to use blue hydrogen as a transition, and Namibia has not yet clarified its definition.

APA

NewClimate Institute (2023). The Role of Green Hydrogen in a Just Paris-Compatible Transition. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/the-role-of-green-hydrogen-in-a-just-paris-compatible-transition

Chicago

NewClimate Institute. The Role of Green Hydrogen in a Just Paris-Compatible Transition. 2023. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/the-role-of-green-hydrogen-in-a-just-paris-compatible-transition.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NewClimate Institute |title=The Role of Green Hydrogen in a Just Paris-Compatible Transition |date=1 November 2023 |url=http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/the-role-of-green-hydrogen-in-a-just-paris-compatible-transition |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{newclimateinstitute2023role, author = {{NewClimate Institute}}, title = {{The Role of Green Hydrogen in a Just Paris-Compatible Transition}}, institution = {NewClimate Institute}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/the-role-of-green-hydrogen-in-a-just-paris-compatible-transition}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }