Hydrogen and resistance: energy transition, indigenous rights and green colonialism in La Guajira, Colombia

(04/2025)

Abstract

This bachelor’s thesis examines the social and political conflicts surrounding the promotion of green hydrogen in Colombia’s La Guajira region – particularly in the context of indigenous rights and postcolonial power structures. At the center is the Windpeshi wind power project, designed to enable hydrogen production while deeply encroaching upon the territory of the Wayúu people. Using an interdisciplinary analytical framework that integrates post-development theory, the concept of hydrogen justice, and an infrastructural approach to power, the study reveals emerging patterns of (in)justice. The research is based on qualitative secondary sources, document analysis, and critical discourse review. The findings show that the so-called green energy transition in the Global South does not inherently lead to social justice. On the contrary, under certain conditions, it can reproduce colonial dependencies, deepen social divides, and intensify environmental conflict. This thesis contributes to a critical reflection on transnational climate and energy policy, as well as the struggle for indigenous self-determination amid global transformation processes.