The Truth About Hydrogen: Green Fuel or Greenwash?

EcoJustice Radio

The fossil fuel industry has been promoting hydrogen as a reliable, low carbon, next-generation fuel to power cars, heat homes, and generate electricity. However, currently 99% of the annual supply of hydrogen comes from fracked methane gas. So will switching to hydrogen only lock us into continued fossil fuel use and additional investments in fossil fuel infrastructure? Proponents argue that when hydrogen is made using renewable power it can cut climate-warming industrial carbon pollution from the steel, oil, and agricultural industries. However, does hydrogen measure up when compared to powering our cars and homes with alternative renewable energy generated directly from wind and solar? Our guest, Ashley Kosak, Research and Project Management Fellow with FracTracker Alliance [https://www.fractracker.org/], and CEO of Green Aero [http://greenaero.org], will explain how hydrogen is generated, transported, stored, and burned; the environmental and social impacts; and what it means for the future of clean energy. For an extended interview, click here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/ashley-kosak-on-77020057 Ashley Kosak is a mechanical engineer who started her career as an engineer at SpaceX. She is an advocate for decarbonization for energy and aerospace, consumption reduction, and social advocacy. She now works with FracTracker Alliance to distill complex emerging technologies into a simple process that can be understood by anyone who wishes to be informed of shifts within the clean energy movement. Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40. More Info/Resources: Greenwashing Hydrogen Webinar with Ashley: https://halttheharm.net/2022/12/greenwashing-hydrogen-understanding-the-climate-risks-of-blue-hydrogen/ Ashley on her time at SpaceX: https://www.lioness.co/post/at-spacex-we-re-told-we-can-change-the-world-just-don-t-try-to-stop-the-sexual-harassment Related Shows: On Building Decarbonization/Home Electrification: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/zerohouz-ditching-fossil-fuels-for-a-zero-emissions-home/ Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Guest: Ashley Kosak Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats