Environmental Justice in Green Hydrogen Trade? A Working Paper from the Technology Assessment MEG Elective Module
Students from the MEG module Technology Assessment had an exciting opportunity to collaborate on a group work assignment that incorporated elements of role play to simulate the technology assessment process conducted at the German national parliament (Bundestag). The end product was a 32-page report collectively written by the nine course participants titled: “Environmental Justice in Green Hydrogen Trade? A Case Study of German-Moroccan Partnership”.
The technology assessment elective course in Winter Semester 2021/2022 was taught by PD Dr. Philipp Späth. Students were introduced to the field and learned how the practice of technology assessment plays an important role in “problematising” the potentials and risks involved in technological change. This is highly relevant for environmental governance, as the promises of technological innovation should be assessed beyond technical considerations.
The seven MEG16 students and two students from Master programs in Environmental Sciences were introduced to the promises, methods, and challenges involved in conducting technology assessments in the first week through lecture input and readings. The students were then given the opportunity to “learn by doing” in engaging in their own technology assessment study. The group assignment included an element of role play, where four students represented the Büro für Technikfolgen-Abschätzung beim Deutschen Bundestag (Office of Technology Assessment in the Bundestag, also known as TAB) while the other five students played two roles: 1) the role of TAB’s principal, the parliamentary Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment, and 2) specialist experts providing input to the study commissioned by the parliamentarians and organised by TAB. The topic for this year’s TA study is international hydrogen economy, a technology currently pursued by the German federal government as a crucial component of the energy transition. Coincidentally, TAB had also recently been commissioned with a study on opportunities and risks of hydrogen partnerships and technologies in developing countries.
Photo by Kindel Media from Pexels
With the guidance of the course coordinator PD Dr. Philipp Späth, the students went through an iterative process to formulate a research proposal addressing a gap in the literature. Their technology assessment study aimed to assist German policymakers in reflecting on and incorporating environmental justice (EJ) dimensions into green hydrogen partnerships. Through applying an EJ framework in the case study of the 2020 German-Moroccan green hydrogen partnership, the working paper highlighted key considerations for policy makers when evaluating potential international hydrogen partnerships, with case-specific findings as well as two policy-relevant end products: 1) a preliminary criteria list to assess hydrogen partnerships, and 2) a policy instrument toolbox for policy makers. For more information regarding the module or the study, please contact PD Dr. Philipp Späth (spaeth@envgov.uni-freiburg.de).
The feedback from the course participants was generally positive. For example, course participants appreciated the flexible course design and high level of autonomy, as well as the opportunity to work hands-on in the cutting edge of hydrogen research. In particular, it was exciting to have the end result of the two-week labour be shared beyond the module, as external audience members were invited to the presentation of the findings and the report was shared to the larger network of the course coordinator.
