They went hunting for fossil fuels. What they found could help save the world | CNN
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When two scientists went looking for fossil fuels beneath the ground of northeastern France, they did not expect to discover something which could supercharge efforts to tackle the climate crisis.

When two scientists went looking for fossil fuels beneath the ground of northeastern France, they did not expect to discover something which could supercharge efforts to tackle the climate crisis.

  • SmuuthbraneEnglish
    -1•8 months ago

    Fossil hydrogen is still a fossil fuel.

    If it’s not green hydrogen, it’s still part of the problem.

    • HypxOP
      1•8 months ago

      It is not a fossil fuel. It is geological hydrogen.

      • SmuuthbraneEnglish
        -1•8 months ago

        Oh, right, and it’s not “methane” it’s “natural gas”. Come on, that’s transparently obvious green washing.

        Regardless of the fuel, if you dig it up it’s not a renewable resource.

        • HypxOP
          1•8 months ago

          It is zero emissions.

          It is not clear if it is non-renewable. Because of how it forms, it could self-regenerate. It is closer to geothermal than fossil fuels.

          • SmuuthbraneEnglish
            0•8 months ago

            It’s not zero emissions, that’s process dependent, not fuel dependent. If you burn it, it will generate other emissions (oxides of nitrogen) alongside the water vapour. Other processes will only emit water. But you can’t call a combustible fuel zero emissions as a blanket statement.

            Not clear?? How about this, until it’s proven to self-regenerate it’s not renewable. Climate change isn’t going to stop on hopes and wishes.

            • HypxOP
              1•8 months ago

              You cannot categorically call anything truly zero emissions. Even BEVs have things like tire dust to worry about. For practical purposes, naturally occurring hydrogen would be a zero emissions fuel.

              No one is saying that this is the solution. It is part of a large number of hydrogen sources that can help solve climate change.

              • SmuuthbraneEnglish
                0•8 months ago

                I can call BEVs zero emissions EVs, the process of converting electric power to motion has no emissions. You’re grasping at straws pulling in tire dust, which any hydrogen vehicles would also have.

                Yes, hydrogen COULD help, but why are we trying to mine more non-renewable fuels to get it? To stop polluting the planet due to our use of non-renewables we’re going to… use MORE non-renewables?

                Solar cost is plummeting, let’s capitalize on that to generate green hydrogen, if the efficiency makes sense. Otherwise, let’s leave whatever is in the ground in the ground.

                • HypxOP
                  1•8 months ago

                  That’s the point. There’s no true zero emissions vehicle. A hydrogen car, running on zero emissions hydrogen, would also be zero emissions.

                  No one is suggesting this is the only way. This is just another zero emissions form of hydrogen.

                  Green hydrogen is likely going to be the main source of hydrogen. It won’t be the only one.