| Abstract: |
Hydrogen plays a central role in policies aimed at decarbonisation, energy
autonomy, industrial competitiveness, and development. This study analyses
hydrogen policies, revealing how their design may undermine just transition
goals and instead reinforce existing spatial inequalities. Drawing on IEA data
on clean hydrogen projects, investment trends are examined. A spatial analysis
combining project data with environmental conflicts, sourced from the Atlas of
Environmental Justice, reveals a concentration of hydrogen projects in areas
affected by ecological degradation and socio-environmental disparities,
raising concerns about the socio-ecological distributive effects. Hydrogen
development appears largely driven by market logics and seems unlikely to meet
climate targets. |