Is Public Participation in Hydrogen Matters (Un)just? Evaluating the Ex-/inclusion of the Vulnerable and Marginalised Individuals in the Hydrogen Decision-Chains of the EU, Spain and Germany

The right to public participation was born as a right to participate in the decision making of policies, plans and projects potentially affecting the environmental
protection. The latest European Union advancements on climate mitigation through the deployment of a green hydrogen transition can have effects on the environment and thus public participation shall have a role in tailoring the next hydrogen economy. Within the new currents of policy and scholarship, energy transitions should be just and include the vulnerable and/or marginalised individuals of society. Equitable and inclusive participatory processes ensure not only that environmental effects of a hydrogen economy are prevented but also that these unprivileged societal groups are part of the hydrogen transition. This article analyses to what extent disadvantaged groups of society are effectively included and can individually participate in the EU, Spain and Germany’s hydrogen decision-making chains. Instead of providing tailored measures for vulnerable individuals, the three jurisdictions apply a one-size-fits-all approach, i.e. treating everyone the same way, and thus, perpetrating (in)equality of opportunities in a hydrogen economy.