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Rosanna Carver, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Victoria

Namibia’s Shark Island: Europe’s push for green hydrogen risks compromising sites of colonial genocide

An aerial view of Shark Island and the town of Lüderitz in Namibia. (Black Court Studios)

In September 2025, Namibia will host the Global African Hydrogen Summit. The Namibian government has ambitions to turn the country into a leading producer of green hydrogen for export to markets in Europe and elsewhere. However, the lands and waters now regarded as being essential to Europe’s energy transition are tied to traumatic memories of colonial violence; especially the ocean, which is the final resting place for thousands of Namibians.

As countries around the world transition to renewable energy, an inconspicuous peninsula in Namibia known as Shark Island is positioned to play a key role in the production of so-called “green” hydrogen, which is a proposed alternative to fossil fuels.

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