positions of these countries. This would give more room to the decision-makers of these countries to address poverty in a much better way. The positive impact of hydrogen energy would have a pronounced impact in countries of South and South-east Asia. CLEAN ENERGy: Unlike the traditional sources of energy such as coal, oil and natural gas, hydrogen energy is sustainable and not harmful to the ecosystem. The by-product of converting hydrogen into energy is clean water. Such a source of power is very appropriate for the future. THE NExT INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: Energy has predominantly been the source of an industrial revolution. Opportunities have generally poured in as better methods of energy generation have come by. In the 19th century, coal and natural gas drove the Industrial Revolution. This created a significant change in balance of geopolitical power with Europe benefiting the maximum and Asia relatively
losing out. The next phase of Industrial Revolution would bring about massive economic and geopolitical changes in the world economy, similar to the changes that the previous industrial revolution had brought about. Against this backdrop, one may believe that the world is heading towards an inclusive phase of growth, wherein the countries with ‘demographic dividend’ are likely to benefit more because of their sheer size. The role of Asia and Africa will purportedly see a rise in world economics and decisionmaking. However, this growth may begin to impact the energy surplus countries of today such as Russia, Canada and OPEC. Even though the significance of hydrogen as a fuel in this article has been written about, there are other sources of renewable energy, viz., wind, solar, jatrophabiofuel, to name a few, which are equally promising. Nonetheless, looking at the prospects that hydrogen is able to generate as a fuel and notwithstanding the contribution from other resources, it may be said that hydrogen will end up becoming one of the most important fountainheads of power in the future.
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