Hydrogen takes centre stage at COP29
The 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), being held in Baku (Azerbaijan) from November 11 to 22, has spotlighted the “unique role” of renewable and clean hydrogen in addressing climate change.
Scale up hydrogen production and deployment
In a ‘Hydrogen Declaration’, promoted by the COP29 Presidency, national governments and other stakeholders have committed to work together to scale up the production and deployment of hydrogen as part of a broader effort to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.
The declaration underscores the urgency of limiting global temperature increase to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels, in line with the Paris Agreement. Regarding this, it emphasizes hydrogen’s potential specifically as an energy carrier capable of decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, such as heavy industry or transportation.
Aligned to UNIFHY's goals
While the declaration acknowledges the positive momentum surrounding green hydrogen, it also points out that current efforts remain insufficient to meet global climate targets. To address this gap, the document outlines several key actions, some of them closely aligned with the goals of the UNIFHY project:
- Stimulating demand, particularly in end-use sectors that are difficult to decarbonise
- Providing financial and technical assistance
- Investing in research, development and demonstration (RD&D) to foster innovation and knowledge-exchange across the hydrogen value chain
- Encouraging the integration of green hydrogen and its derivatives into national climate and energy plans
The declaration concludes with a commitment to reconvene at COP30 to assess progress and continue driving collective efforts to scale up hydrogen’s role in the global clean energy transition.