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Can hydrogen eliminate global warming?!

Can hydrogen eliminate global warming?!

By عبد السلام

Published: April 30, 2022

A report issued by the Canadian Auditor General's Office on Tuesday said that Canada has overestimated the amount of hydrogen use that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade, which could jeopardize Ottawa's ability to achieve climate targets.

Hydrogen is a low-carbon fuel that policymakers hope will replace fossil fuels used in industry and heavy vehicles.

Natural Resources Canada issued a federal hydrogen strategy in December 2020 but used "unrealistic assumptions" to calculate that clean fuel could reduce 45 megatons of emissions by 2030, according to Jerry DeMarco, Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development, in his report.

The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, which could amount to 293 megatons.

The Canadian government described hydrogen as an important part of the solution to combat climate change and wants the country to become a major exporter of clean fuel.

DeMarco said in a statement: "From our perspective, the assumptions in the federal hydrogen strategy are overly optimistic and threaten the credibility of the expected emissions reductions." Unlike Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada estimated that hydrogen technology would reduce 15 megatons of emissions by 2030.

The Office of the Auditor General also issued reports on other environmental policies on Tuesday. Those reports included findings that government support for workers affected by the phase-out of coal energy was insufficient, and that some groups within Canadian society are disproportionately affected by the federal carbon price.

In a joint statement, Environment and Natural Resources Canada said the government will adopt a number of the commissioner's recommendations, including standardizing accounting on how measures such as hydrogen adoption are taken to reduce carbon emissions, and ensuring that the carbon price is fair and effective.

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