By Aliaksei Patonia
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position, policies, or views of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute.
This op-ed was produced as part of a mentorship programme under SAYP – Just Transition for Human Rights, Resilience, Inclusion, Value, and Equity (JUST THRIVE) 2025-2026.
Hydrogen’s Growing Role in the Energy Transition
‘Green’ hydrogen has rapidly become one of the most prominent pillars of global decarbonisation strategies. Produced through electrolysis powered by renewable electricity, it is increasingly viewed as a critical solution for reducing emissions in sectors that are difficult to electrify directly, including steelmaking, chemicals, fertilisers, shipping, aviation, and parts of heavy industry.
Governments around the world have embraced hydrogen as a strategic component of their climate policies. The European Union’s REPowerEU plan, for example, aims to produce 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen domestically and import an additional 10 million tonnes annually by 2030. Similar ambitions can be observed in countries ranging from Australia and Chile to Namibia, Oman, and Morocco.
The rationale is compelling. Green hydrogen can help decarbonise industrial processes, facilitate long-term energy storage, support energy security, and create new opportunities for economic development. Yet as governments and investors focus on scaling production and infrastructure, an important question remains insufficiently addressed: how can we ensure that the hydrogen transition is not only green, but also just?
The Risk of a New “Green Rush”
History suggests that large-scale energy transitions are never purely technological. They reshape economies, affect communities, alter landscapes, and influence access to natural resources. Green hydrogen projects require significant quantities of renewable electricity, land, water, transmission infrastructure, ports, pipelines, and industrial facilities. These projects are often located in regions with abundant renewable resources, many of which are inhabited by Indigenous peoples, rural communities, or environmentally sensitive ecosystems.
The opportunities are real. Namibia’s multi-billion-dollar Hyphen project, one of the world’s largest planned green hydrogen developments, is widely presented as a catalyst for economic diversification, industrial development, and job creation. Similarly, large-scale hydrogen initiatives in Chile’s Magallanes region are expected to position the country as a major exporter of renewable fuels. At the same time, hydrogen development in these regions has generated broader discussions about land use, environmental impacts, water resources, and the participation of local communities in decision-making processes. Similar concerns have emerged in northern Norway, where hydrogen and ammonia projects linked to renewable energy expansion intersect with broader debates surrounding Sámi rights, reindeer herding, and what some Indigenous representatives have described as forms of “green colonialism”.
These examples do not suggest that hydrogen development is inherently problematic. Rather, they demonstrate that decarbonisation projects can create social and governance challenges that require careful attention.
Why Human Rights Matter
Much of the current debate on hydrogen governance focuses on environmental assessments, permitting procedures, financing models, and technical feasibility. While these issues are important, a human-rights-based approach starts from a different premise: people affected by the energy transition are not merely stakeholders to be consulted but rights-holders whose interests and participation must be respected throughout the project lifecycle. It emphasises that meaningful participation, access to information, accountability, non-discrimination, and access to justice should form the foundation of sustainable energy governance.
Importantly, these are not only procedural concerns. The physical footprint of hydrogen and associated renewable-energy infrastructure can engage substantive human rights as well. Land acquisition, displacement or resettlement may affect the right to adequate housing and property rights; competition for water can affect the human right to water; environmental degradation can interfere with the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; and projects affecting Indigenous lands, traditional livelihoods or practices may engage the right to culture and Indigenous Peoples’ rights, including the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent.
This broader perspective is also reflected in the 2025 report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, Elisa Morgera, on a human rights-based approach to the energy transition. The report stresses that, while a rapid transition away from fossil fuels is necessary, climate mitigation measures should be assessed across their full life cycle through human-rights-based and ecosystem-based approaches. It also highlights responsibilities not only for States, but for businesses and development finance institutions involved in financing and implementing the energy transition.
Overall, these principles are deeply rooted in international human rights law, including the Aarhus Convention, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Collectively, these frameworks recognise that environmental decision-making should be transparent, inclusive, and accountable, particularly when projects may significantly affect people’s lives, livelihoods, health, and environments. In the context of hydrogen development, this means that communities should have access to understandable information about proposed projects, opportunities to participate when key decisions are still open, and mechanisms to challenge decisions that may adversely affect their rights.
From Stakeholder Engagement to Rights-Based Governance
Many hydrogen developers already conduct stakeholder engagement exercises. While valuable, consultation alone is not necessarily sufficient.
A human-rights-based approach requires participation that is meaningful rather than symbolic. Communities should be involved before major decisions have been made, not merely informed once projects have already been approved. Information should be accessible, understandable, and available early enough to allow informed engagement. Particular attention should be paid to potentially vulnerable groups, including Indigenous peoples, rural communities, and those whose livelihoods may be directly affected by infrastructure development.
Human-rights-based governance also requires transparency regarding how public input influences final decisions. Too often, consultation processes collect feedback without clearly demonstrating how concerns have been considered or addressed.
Importantly, accountability mechanisms should exist when conflicts emerge. Access to grievance procedures, administrative review, and judicial remedies can help ensure that participation is not reduced to a procedural formality.
Building Better Hydrogen Investments
The hydrogen economy is still being built. Unlike many established industries, its governance structures, investment frameworks, and regulatory approaches remain under development. This creates a rare opportunity. Rather than attempting to address social conflicts after they emerge, governments, investors, and project developers can integrate human rights considerations from the outset.
Human-rights-based hydrogen investments should ensure meaningful participation, provide transparent access to information, assess social and human rights impacts alongside environmental impacts, protect vulnerable groups, and establish effective accountability mechanisms. In line with the UN Special Rapporteur’s recommendations for businesses and investors, this should also involve robust human rights due diligence, including attention to land tenure, benefit-sharing with affected communities, public access to information, participatory long-term monitoring, and effective grievance mechanisms for workers and communities.
Green hydrogen may become one of the defining technologies of the twenty-first century energy transition. Whether it also contributes to a genuinely just transition will depend not only on electrolysers, renewable power, and investment flows, but also on the governance choices being made today. A human-rights-based approach offers a valuable framework for ensuring that the pursuit of net-zero emissions advances both climate objectives and human dignity.