Got The Blue Hydrogen Blues!

Green hydrogen is extracted from water, using solar power. It's genuinely a low carbon fuel but of limited utility. In contrast, blue hydrogen is obtained from methane. The general idea of this process is to extract the hydrogen, whilst efficiently collecting and storing the masses of consequently released carbon dioxide. Kevin Anderson (University of Manchester) and Simon Oldfield describe the UK government's taxpayer funding for blue hydrogen as 'another oil industry swindle' (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/04/uk-government-hydrogen-plan-oil-industry-taxpayer-blue-hydrogen-climate-crisis). Anderson and Oldfield note the numerous points in blue hydrogen's production and use, where methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen per se can (and do) leak. All three are 'greenhouse gases' of varying potencies (methane is much worse than carbon dioxide). The UK government is currently promising billions of pounds, over 15 years, to oil companies and the folk being made responsible for carbon dioxide collection and storage. Sellers of blue hydrogen will be able to sell their product as a 'low carbon' alternative. Anderson and Oldfield regard the whole scheme as 'an immense transfer of wealth from ordinary people to the fossil fuel industry'. They suggest that any future government shouldn't be squeamish about 'breaking contracts'. They should 'stand up to the fossil fuel lobbyists and stop this great hydrogen swindle, before it's too late'. An 'open and shut' case?