The Namibian Chamber of Environment (NCE) will release a manifesto against proposed green hydrogen developments in the Tsau //Khaeb (Sperrgebiet) National Park (TKNP) on Wednesday.
The NCE will deliver their position paper against the production of green hydrogen in the TKNP during the international biodiversity celebrations due to take place at Lüderitz on Wednesday.
NCE chief executive Chris Brown, in a media statement on Tuesday, said: “With such damage to one of Namibia’s most globally important national parks and to our biodiversity, can this hydrogen really be called green?”
According to Brown, the damage to the integrity, biodiversity, landscape, sense of place and future tourism will be immense, all in the interest of serving the relatively short-term energy needs.
“We would suggest that it be called red hydrogen – because industrialising the TKNP will drive many species onto the biodiversity Red List, and hydrogen produced in the TKNP will carry the blood of its lost biodiversity,” Brown said.
The NCE calls on the Namibian government, the German government and the European Union to immediately commission an independent and transparent strategic environmental assessment of the green hydrogen sector in Namibia with broad public consultation, to plan the most effective way forward for Namibia.
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