COP29 Week 1: Advancing the Green Hydrogen Agenda

This week at COP29, GH2 actively participated in the Global Renewables Hub as a member of the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA) .

Our CEO Jonas Moberg Moberg summarised some key take-aways from the first week of COP in a video below. Our colleague Sam Bartlett also spoke about some of the key debates on priority use cases, demand side measures, standards and carbon taxes. Our Founding Chairman Hon. Malcolm Turnbull's speech at the Climate Action Hydrogen Transition Summit emphasised the urgent need for robust government policies, global standards, and industry collaboration to accelerate the green hydrogen transition and overcome barriers to decarbonisation.

"It was not long ago we pleaded with the private sector to invest, innovate and help find the pathways. This has largely worked. Now we need the governments to provide the enabling environment required."

-Hon. Malcolm Turnbull???

COP29 Hydrogen Declaration - welcome but could be stronger?

The COP29 Presidency marked Energy Day on 15 November with the launch of a number of energy pledges and declarations, including on storage and grids as well as hydrogen.

We endorse the COP29 Hydrogen Declaration and agree with the concern outlined that government and private sector actions remain insufficient to align with global climate objectives. The reference to reducing “methane, in alignment with global climate objectives” is welcome and we fully support the commitment to achieving “near-zero GHG emissions from hydrogen production” as well as the need to integrate “clean” hydrogen into national climate plans (or NDCs). As we have often said, we need rigour and transparency in how emissions, including for fossil hydrogen, are calculated and believe the declaration could have gone further on this aspect.

The Hydrogen Declaration touches upon other key issue such as stimulating demand, supporting financial and technical assistance particularly in lower income countries, addressing energy and hydrogen losses throughout the value chain, and mitigating impacts to air quality, water resources and land use which we fully support. ?

We also endorse the separate Global Energy Storage and Grids Pledge together with our GRA colleagues which targets a sixfold increase in global energy storage to 1500GW and significant grid expansion by 2030 which is essential to tripling renewables and decarbonising the power sector.

Maritime decarbonisation around the corner – A breakthrough for renewable fuels?

Arsenio Dominguez, the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation, joined Alex Hewitt, CWP Global and Andrew Forrest, Chairman of Fortescue, in a discussion moderated by Jonas on the extraordinary opportunity for shipping to soon shift from using dirty heavy fuel oils to genuinely low carbon ammonia and other renewable fuels. The IMO, which last year committed international shipping to net zero by 2050, through a reduction of emissions by 20% by 2030, will in April start finalising a fuel standard and so-called pricing mechanism (in effect a carbon levy).

When Jonas asked Arsenio Dominguez if he was hopeful that the IMO will have a strict fuel standard and pricing mechanism in place by 2027, as committed, he said that it is not a matter of hope – the new rules WILL be in place from 2027. Argus Media have forecast that the global green ammonia market will be 300 million tonnes by 2040 of which 240 million tonnes will be for shipping, and both Alex and Andrew firmly reassured the audience that green fuels will be available from 2027 onwards. GH2 is now working closely with its corporate members and a wide range of other organisations in providing input to the IMO about the standards used for the emissions accounting. GH2 also supported the Call to Action on Green Hydrogen and Green Shipping ?- Amplifying the Power of Hydrogen in a Just and Equitable Transition.

Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g8ygSG6b?or click the call to action image below:

Tackling Methane Leakage and Hydrogen Standards?

Hydrogen’s methane problem, as covered in the recent wrap has been much discussed during COP. At panels hosted at our Global Renewables Hub and elsewhere, the message was clear: if weak standards are adopted, low credibility grey and blue hydrogen will continue to crowd out high credibility green hydrogen. Full transparency around hydrogen’s climate impact is crucial in enabling a harmonized, well-functioning market that delivers the intended climate benefits. EU and US policymakers are currently grappling with this challenge as they finalise rules on low-carbon hydrogen definitions and tax credit eligibility. At a global level, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (ISO/TC 197/SC 1 Hydrogen at scale and horizontal energy systems) is also addressing methane leakage. The key is to require independently verified site-specific data aligned with the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0 framework. Additionally, producer disclosures should be integrated with high-quality regional-level methane emission estimates (e.g., from satellite or airborne-based) via the UN Environment Program’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO). Key voices at a panel discussing this issue included Alex Hewitt from CWP Global Global, Dr. Shanta Barley from Fortescue , Leslie Labruto from Environmental Defense Fund Europe , and GH2’s own Dr. Sam Bartlett . ?Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dqv7QMKK??

Endorsing the Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA) Open Letter?

Having helped convene the Industrial Transition Accelerator’s open letter, GH2 was pleased to endorse it at COP. The open letter urges governments to implement stronger policies to stimulate demand for green hydrogen, low-carbon materials, and sustainable fuels. Leaders like Michael Bloomberg and Mark Carney supported this call, advocating for mechanisms such as carbon pricing, mandatory quotas, and green public procurement. As Jonas remarked, “The green hydrogen market must be allowed a fair chance to compete against high-emission fossil fuels.”

Read the letter here: Business and finance call on governments to unlock demand for low-carbon products and accelerate industrial projects worth $1 trillion?

Safeguards for using carbon dioxide in synthetic fuels??

Sam Bartlett dived into discussion about the role of carbon capture and synthetic fuels in the energy transition hosted by the Institut de Recherche en Energie Solaire et Energies Nouvelles (IRESEN). GH2 recognises that there is a need for CO2 utilisation to produce fuels like methanol, SAF and synthetic methane. The carbon could be sourced from biomass, biomass waste, direct air capture, unavoidable industrial emissions or emissions that have paid compensation through a credible carbon price mechanism. Where biomass and/or biomass waste is utilized for the production of renewable electricity and/or the production of green hydrogen derivatives, it is crucial that the project operator demonstrates that there is a low risk of indirect land use change, including verifying that production of feedstock does not take place on land with high biodiversity. GH2’s Green Hydrogen Standard is leading the way in comprehensively addressing these issues.?

Launch of the Green Hydrogen Policy Accelerator Handbook

GH2 launched the Handbook of the Green Hydrogen Policy Accelerator Training Course at the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Pavilion. This handbook provides an overview of good green hydrogen policies. 27 countries provided a brief introduction to their policies on enabling the large scale renewable energy and green hydrogen economy from trainings hosted earlier this year in Cairo and New Delhi. Co-hosted with Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Clean Energy Ministerial , the session highlighted the importance of business models tailored to specific national contexts. Check out the handbook below:?

Joe Williams

Deputy CEO,

Green Hydrogen Organisation

Partner with us

We invite companies, governments and civil society to join the Green Hydrogen Organisation. GH2 is a Swiss non-profit foundation that has been established to promote green hydrogen sustainably to decarbonise key parts of the global economy for everyone’s benefit. We believe that climate disaster will only be prevented if the use of oil, gas and coal stops urgently. To do this, the world needs to accelerate the production and use of green hydrogen, made from renewable energy and water.

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