Natural hydrogen: Impact on nature

Very low carbon, if the leaks are stopped

What this tab covers What taking energy from this source does to land, water, air and climate, wildlife and ecosystems, with life-cycle emissions and land use where measured.

Natural hydrogen could be one of the lowest-carbon sources of hydrogen, but its climate benefit depends on avoiding leaks of hydrogen and methane, and on the energy used to purify it.

Life-cycle emissions about 12 (from 0.4 kg CO2e per kg H2) g CO2e/kWh¹⁰ Per kWh of hydrogen (lower heating value), not of electricity; converted from the Brandt (2023) site-boundary baseline of about 0.4 kg CO2e/kg H2. Field results not yet available

Effects on nature

Area	Effect	Size	How it is reduced
Climate (production)	Emissions from drilling, compression and separating methane, nitrogen and other gases¹⁰	About 0.4 kg CO2e per kg H2 (baseline), against 10.13 kg for unabated steam methane reforming and 2.45 kg with 90% carbon capture	Reinjecting separated gases, electrified processing
Climate (leakage)	Hydrogen is not itself a greenhouse gas, but leaked hydrogen reacts in the atmosphere in ways that extend the lifetime of methane and other greenhouse gases¹¹	Global warming potential over 100 years of 11.6 +/- 2.8 times CO2	Leak detection, tight well integrity
Land	Well pads and pipelines similar to a small gas field; exploration licences can cover large areas⁹	One UK explorer secured 958 km2 of landowner agreements for assessment	Directional drilling, shared pads
Water and subsurface	Stimulated production would involve injecting water into rock at depth to promote hydrogen generation, which is unproven⁹	Not yet quantified; trials planned in Oman's ophiolites and USD 20 million of US research funding (ARPA-E)	Monitoring of injection and groundwater

The climate case rests on two variables. First, gas composition: a reservoir rich in methane carries an extra emissions burden unless that methane is captured. Second, leakage: hydrogen's indirect warming effect per kilogram is potent but short-lived, so even modest leaks from wells and pipes would erode the benefit. On the baseline estimate, natural hydrogen (about 0.4 kg CO2e per kg) sits between renewable electrolysis (about zero on site) and steam reforming with 90% carbon capture (2.45 kg).

Sources

Task 49 Subtask C report: natural hydrogen IEA Hydrogen Technology Collaboration Programme, 2025
Natural Hydrogen (Insight Paper 2024-IP05) IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEAGHG), 2024
A multi-model assessment of the Global Warming Potential of hydrogen (Sand et al., Communications Earth and Environment) DOAJ / Nature Portfolio, 2023