science

A new global review argues that many “transition” projects touted by oil and gas companies, such as hydrogen hubs, biofuels, or carbon capture and storage, are doing more to lock in the fossil economy than to wind it down.

Drawing on 48 environmental conflict cases across continents, researchers from ICTA-UAB and the University of Sussex examined a range of fossil fuel “transition” initiatives.

The team found that these projects often fall short of climate goals, deepen environmental injustice, and entrench the political power of the very companies driving the crisis.

The authors argue this isn’t a sideshow – it’s the strategy. By coupling new “low carbon” facilities to existing refineries, pipelines, and gas-fired power stations, companies can justify running legacy assets for decades.

The proposed H2Med pipeline from Barcelona to Marseille is emblematic: marketed for hydrogen, it could also carry fossil gas, extending the life of old networks under a green banner.

In practice, many projects operate as add-ons: “blue” hydrogen dependent on fossil methane; biofuels that displace forests or food; offsets that permit ongoing emissions elsewhere.