Presentation short abstract

This paper examines green hydrogen’s emergence in Chilean Patagonia, focusing on socio-ecological narratives shaping the region’s role in global decarbonization. It highlights entrenched extractive logics and potential new environmental sacrifice zones, revealing tensions around hydrogen projects.

Presentation long abstract

Green hydrogen has recently become a key energy vector in global decarbonization efforts, primarily promoted as a sustainable solution to meet European energy demand. Its rise aligns with broader shifts toward green technologies and low-carbon futures, with renewable production methods like wind power seen as crucial for achieving climate goals and transforming energy systems globally. However, despite these promises, the expansion of green hydrogen projects in the Global South presents significant challenges, intimately linked to entrenched extractive logics and enduring patterns of uneven development. In Chilean Patagonia, the rapid industrial growth exemplifies what has been conceptualized as green extractivism: a contemporary reconfiguration of territorial appropriation and resource exploitation legitimised by energy transition discourses but perpetuating socio-environmental inequalities. This dynamic subordinates local ecosystems and communities to the decarbonization priorities of the Global North.

Consequently, Chile’s southernmost region, Patagonia, is undergoing a transformation driven by state actors and transnational corporations into a strategic ‘development pole’ for large-scale hydrogen production and export. This trajectory is based on the extensive establishment of wind farms and mega ports. It carries unknown environmental risks and marginalizes regional energy priorities, since hydrogen production is not intended to support local decarbonization. Drawing upon emergent fieldwork, document analysis, and interviews, this study examines how local communities, environmental organizations, and regional authorities negotiate the socio-ecological ramifications of hydrogen megaprojects, thereby shaping an energy future with planetary-scale implications. Persistent concerns include biodiversity loss and encroachment on protected natural areas, highlighting complex socio-ecological tensions inherent to this emerging sector.