Blue hydrogen could contribute 50% more to global warming than fossil fuels (and green hydrogen isn't immune either)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/blue-hydrogen-could-contribute-50-more-to-global-warming-than-fossil-fuels/ar-BB1iNk4Z
Some previous analyses have estimated total potential emissions reductions from the use of blue hydrogen at around 70%, the researchers note. They say a worst-case scenario could actually see near-term global warming increase by 50% compared with fossil fuels.
The study assumes a 60% carbon capture rate rather than the 98% often cited by CCS and blue hydrogen advocates, principally because the technology has not yet come close to removing total on-site emissions at commercial scale, explain the researchers.
They also had bad news for green hydrogen, mainly due to the fact that hydrogen itself is a potent greenhouse gas when it leaks into the atmosphere.
For green or renewable hydrogen, which is made from the renewables-powered electrolysis of water, the near-term climate benefits also drop by 25% when the full climate impact of hydrogen is factored in. Hydrogen, the smallest known molecule in the universe, is a leak-prone gas with a potent indirect warming effect in the near-term due to the fact that its chemical oxidation in the atmosphere increases other short-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere methane, tropospheric ozone, and stratospheric water vapour, the paper explains.