Namibia’s hydrogen superpower dream

纳米比亚的氢能超级大国之梦

The Documentary Podcast

2026-03-04

26 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

A near-pristine desert wilderness on southern Africa’s remote Atlantic coast in Namibia could host a huge green hydrogen development, raising hope for wealth and desperately needed jobs. Supporters say it could help tackle youth unemployment, which is among the highest in the world. But there are big questions about what the plan will mean for people and wildlife living nearby. The development would take place next to a national park that is home to rare plants and animals. Conservationists warn it could damage fragile desert habitats and put pressure on the coastal ecosystem. Johannes Dell travels to the port town of Lüderitz and the surrounding desert to hear from the people who would live with the changes.
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

  • Could the US-Israel war with Iran ripple across the entire Gulf region and affect us all?

  • The Persian Gulf is made up of some of the wealthiest and safest countries on Earth,

  • and until recently they've mostly been insulated from Middle East conflicts.

  • But that's now changing.

  • For more, listen to the Global Story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

  • Now I've just come to what was once a railway station called Grasplatz or grassy place in the middle of the Namibian desert.

  • The old station building which is crumbling.

  • empty window frames, and it's the only building for miles around, as far as you can see.

  • Over 100 years ago, in this spot,

  • a railway labourer called Zacharias Liwala found a shimmering stone.

  • His discovery led to a diamond rush in this remote corner of south-west Africa.

  • Prospectors flooded to the small harbour town of Lüderitz nearby,

  • bringing a boom that lasted a few decades.

  • And then it all faded away.

  • I'm Johannes Del and in this edition of the documentary from the BBC World Service,

  • I'll be asking whether after decades of being a sleepy backwater,

  • Lüderitz is in for another boom, this time one based on green hydrogen.

  • and fueled by the abundance of sun and wind in this part of Africa.

  • We're seeing new energy, new investments, new opportunities,