Green hydrogen and the natural absurdity of sustainability

Van Huong
NEU-IS

March 23, 2025

“Losing patience, Kingfisher decides to press the buttons rapidly, hoping to make this foreign “opponent” dizzy, disoriented, and finally frightened. […] Pressing those buttons faster and faster, Kingfisher resembles a circus clown.

But there is one thing he can’t achieve: fear.”

—In “Innovation”; Wild Wise Weird (2024)

[SCICOMM]

Green hydrogen, generated through water electrolysis powered by renewable electricity, offers a promising pathway toward a sustainable future [1]. Europe, in particular, views this energy carrier as crucial for achieving decarbonization goals in hard-to-abate sectors, including heavy industry, transportation, and chemicals [2]. Nonetheless, the deployment of green hydrogen reveals inherent paradoxes and absurdities in contemporary environmental ambitions.



Large-scale green hydrogen projects, such as the 54 MW proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer currently under construction in Germany by BASF and Siemens Energy, illustrate both the potential benefits and challenges of this green transition. Once operational, this plant is expected to produce approximately 8,000 tons of hydrogen annually, potentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 72,000 metric tons each year [3]. This underscores green hydrogen’s capability to significantly diminish industrial emissions compared to conventional gray hydrogen derived from fossil fuels.

However, the environmental implications of scaling up green hydrogen production are complex. Recent life cycle assessments highlight a significant trade-off: to sufficiently power Europe’s green hydrogen economy, extensive expansions in renewable infrastructure—such as solar and wind installations—are essential. These expansions can lead to substantial environmental burdens, including increased human toxicity, mineral depletion, and significant land and water usage, thus merely shifting environmental pressures rather than completely resolving them [1]. Indeed, such renewable infrastructure expansions could result in approximately 45% greater climate impacts compared to less complex decarbonization strategies, illuminating the intrinsic contradictions within sustainability efforts of green hydrogen [1].

Furthermore, the green hydrogen supply chain encounters significant challenges, such as high capital investments, limited electrolyzer capacities, and unclear regulatory frameworks [2]. These factors introduce additional layers of complexity to the seemingly straightforward “clean energy” narrative. Recognizing and addressing these intricate issues is essential for policymakers, industry leaders, and environmentalists to prevent green hydrogen from exemplifying sustainability’s absurdity, where well-intentioned solutions inadvertently exacerbate socio-economic and environmental issues [4].

Moving forward, a thoughtful and integrated approach is essential to ensure green hydrogen meaningfully contributes to broader ecological and socio-economic sustainability goals. Embracing and understanding the inherent tradeoffs within sustainability solutions can guide us toward a more comprehensive path to genuine sustainability [5].

References

[1] Shen H, et al. (2024). Environmental and climate impacts of a large-scale deployment of green hydrogen in Europe. Energy and Climate Change, 5, 100133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egycc.2024.100133

[2] Azadnia AH, et al. (2023). Green hydrogen supply chain risk analysis: A European hard-to-abate sectors perspective. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 182, 113371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.113371

[3] Zaremba H. (2025). Europe’s largest green hydrogen plant under construction. https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Europes-Largest-Green-Hydrogen-Plant-Under-Construction.html

[4] Nguyen MH. (2024). How can satirical fables offer us a vision for sustainability? Visions for Sustainability. https://ojs.unito.it/index.php/visions/article/view/11267

[5] Vuong QH, Nguyen MH. (2025). On Nature Quotient. https://dipot.ulb.ac.be/dspace/bitstream/2013/390547/3/wp25003.pdf