Behind the race to find natural hydrogen

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published August 13, 2025 at 12:03 PM EDT

Hydrogen is an essential component in industrial mainstays like fertilizer and steel, but roughly 90% of the hydrogen in the United States is produced using fossil fuels. Though so-called green hydrogen was touted as the best alternative to decarbonize the process, the nascent industry was just dealt a blow by President Trump’s repeal of tax credits established by President Biden to support green energy projects. Now, researchers are turning to the naturally occurring “white” hydrogen.

Host Scott Tong speaks to Rebecca McCarthy, climate news reporting fellow at Grist, about the race to find deposits of this cheap, emissions-free hydrogen as an alternative.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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