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Hydrogen for the energy transition – green solution or neo-colonial sham?

23. November 2022 @ 12:30 - 14:00

Huge solar park in a desert landscape in view from above

Everyone is talking about “green” hydrogen: Many companies and also the German government are relying on this technology to implement the energy transition. "Green" hydrogen is to be produced with electricity from renewable energies and then used or stored. Capacities in Germany are limited, which is why huge amounts of imports will be necessary. For this, partnerships with countries with so-called favourable conditions are already planned. Many of those countries are located in (North) Africa.

But what does the implementation of this strategy mean for those countries from which Germany wants to import hydrogen? How can hydrogen be provided without reproducing patterns of exploitation and colonialism? Where are macroeconomic issues raised or ignored? In which sectors does the use of hydrogen make sense? What can an implementation look like that is (climate) just?

We would like to address these questions in a panel discussion to jointly discuss what a globally just energy and hydrogen transition could look like and which factors and whose voices should be taken into account. For that, we well have on the panel:

Ingrid Nestle (MdB Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen)
Julia Terrapon-Pfaff (Co-Head Research Unit International Energy Transitions at Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy)
Hamza Hamouchene (North Africa Programme Coordinator at the Transnational Institute (TNI))

Moderation: Lisa Steinwandel

The event will be in English.