Pathways for a sustainable green hydrogen future in Namibia: Mitigating social-ecological risks and overcoming transformation barriers

Namibia has the potential to support governments and industries worldwide in their transition towards climate neutrality through green hydrogen (GH 2 ) by leveraging its tremendous potential for solar and wind energy, as well as its vast, sparsely populated land. Ambitious plans for a GH 2 industry in Namibia go along with large-scale infrastructure developments, which are accompanied by significant social and ecological impacts. This paper approaches these decarbonisation challenges and future impacts from a social-ecological transformation perspective. It advances existing research by integrating empirically developed scenario narratives with current stakeholder perceptions, thereby linking anticipated social-ecological risks with present barriers to define pathways for a transformation towards a sustainable GH 2 future. In doing so, it contributes a forward-looking perspective to current debates within social science literature. Based on multiple field trips and expert interviews, findings indicate that while a GH 2 industry could create opportunities for job creation and socio-economic added-value, current processes neglect serious social-ecological consequences, insufficiently integrate local and diverse stakeholder perspectives and lack robust regulatory frameworks. Significant challenges remain the unequal distribution of economic benefits, the disregard of social and cultural implications, potential ecological damage, and transparency issues. In response, this paper defines five pathways towards a sustainable GH 2 future in Namibia, emphasising the need for a strong regulatory framework, inclusive planning processes that enable extensive participation and capacity building opportunities, broader access to water and energy resources, and giving value to natural resources as ways to mitigate social-ecological risks and overcome existing barriers.