DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The heads of some ofthe world's biggest oil firms and automakers agreed on Tuesdayto push for broader global use and bigger investments in usinghydrogen to help reduce emissions and arrest global warming.
The oil firms' and car makers' chiefs said the plan was partof global efforts to keep global warming well below 2 degreesCelsius, an ambitious goal agreed by 195 countries in Paris in2015.
"In this context, we are convinced that the uniquecontribution that hydrogen solutions offer needs to be stronglyreaffirmed now," the participants, including the chiefs of oilfirms Total and Royal Dutch Shell, PatrickPouyanne and Ben van Beurden, said in a statement.
The declaration was also signed by the CEOs of car makersBMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai, Kawasaki and Toyota as well asminer Anglo American and energy and engineering firms Engie,Linde and Air Liquide.
Hydrogen does not release any CO2 at the point of use andits technologies and products have progressed significantly, thefirms said in a statement.
They aim to accelerate investment in developing andcommercialising the hydrogen sector, currently amounting to just1.4 billion euros a year - compared with the hundreds ofbillions of dollars invested annually by the oil sector.
"We need governments to back hydrogen with actions of theirown - for example through large scale infrastructure investmentschemes," the statement quoted the head of Air Liquide BenoitPotier as saying.
"We are not trying to bring hydrogen only to cars or trains.We are trying to bring a systemic approach. Hydrogen cangenerate power, produce heat and it is close to the chemicalindustry. And it is the most abundant element in the universe,"Potier told a news conference.
The head of oil major Shell Ben van Beurden said thatdespite starting a hydrogen business 20 years ago, his firmtoday had only had five hydrogen refueling stations in Germanyand three in California.
"You need a coordinated approach to make it work. Hopefully,we can have hundreds (of stations)," he said.
The head of Total Pouyanne said hydrogen was also the bestway to store energy and Total was studying those opportunities. (Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
