Warning: the UK government's hydrogen plan isn't green at all, it's another oil industry swindle | Kevin Anderson and Simon Oldridge

A taxpayer-funded drive for 'blue' hydrogen is good news for fossil-fuel lobbyists, but bad news for the climate crisisWith the impacts of the climate crisis so apparent for all to see, it is becoming ever harder for governments to fob off voters with promises of action tomorrow. At Cop28 we'll see increasingly overt action by fossil fuel companies and petrostates to preserve their traditional power. But it is just as important to scrutinise emerging so-called green or low-emission solutions, which sound plausible, but are often simply big oil's business-as-usual in a new guise.The UK's much touted low carbon hydrogen standard (LCHS) is an example of this. While hydrogen can be a low-emission fuel, the UK's plan is quite clearly a fig leaf for "blue" hydrogen - which is made from fossil fuels - and according to one study, is even more at odds with our commitment to limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C than burning coal.Kevin Anderson is professor of energy and climate change at the University of Manchester. Simon Oldridge is an independent researcherCop28: Can fossil fuel companies transition to clean energy?On Tuesday 5 December, 8pm-9.15pm GMT, join Damian Carrington, Christiana Figueres, Tessa Khan and Mike Coffin for a livestreamed discussion on whether fossil fuel companies can transition to clean energy. Book tickets here or at theguardian.live Continue reading...