Environment, Tech, Energy, and Blockchain.

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, one thing is certain, we all have a responsibility to be good stewards of our environment.

This responsibility needn’t derive from alarmism, nor should it be the product of government mandate or some profiteering desire to capture program incentives. Rather, it should be the cautious, and consistent desire of all citizens of the world, to express love for our fellow man and respect for our future generations in such a way, as we act in the best interests of all, and not just in the interests of our immediate selves. This desire is eloquent precisely because it is simple, mindful, uncontroversial, and actionable.

Before diving directly into our subject matter, it’s probably worth mentioning why there is resistance to the so-called “green movement” in the first place. The first, and the obvious reason, is that it has become sharply politicized, and weaponized specifically to create party division that influences votes, and raises funds for specific candidates. Since the desire to protect the environment against pollution is almost universally held by persons in all developed nations, politicians have seized upon a single type of pollution, carbon emissions, as the sole criterion to separate themselves from the political parties of others. Controversy is thus injected into a subject which is uncontroversial otherwise. This has widespread implications.

Secondly, climate change alarmism, often seen as an appropriate response and as a tool for change by justifying leaning (or liberal in the non-classic sense) individuals, has the opposite effect on their conservative or right-leaning counterparts. Rather than being viewed as a calculated and essential facet of responsible economic growth, it is seen as a radical attempt to reverse the progress of the last century. Perhaps nowhere was this phenomenon on greater display than in the United States, where the Democrat party introduced a “Green New Deal” legislation meant to Slow Climate Change. A bill which would have fundamentally shifted the world backward technologically. Though not stated expressly in the bill, summary notes issued to Congressional members included nods to stopping all air travel, removing all gas-powered cars from the road and even, hilariously, finding out how to stop bovine flatulence. Of course, the bill was widely mocked for being unserious, with no real chance to pass. Worse yet, the bill carried an estimated cost of 50-90 TRILLION dollars over 10 years. This again, is posturing, but will never produce real change.

Environmental Hypocrisy

Last on the list, and perhaps the most damaging on an individual level, is hypocrisy.

Last year the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) brought together 120 world leaders and over 40,000 registered participants to discuss reducing carbon emissions over the next few decades. In the end the result was a thin, strongly worded but unenforceable and weak agreement, which largely excluded the world’s worst polluter, China, who fought strongly to remove language surrounding their massive coal consumption, which doubles the carbon emissions of the number two polluter. In the end, the agreement largely centered on moving quickly away from oil and other fossil fuels as the primary source of energy, and predominantly focusing on solar, hydroelectric, and other sustainable energy sources in the future. That seems like a worthy goal of course, but here is the punchline: At least 118 PRIVATE PLANES flew the millionaires, billionaires, and politicians to the Summit for the meeting, creating more than a thousand tons of CO2 emissions in a two week period. Word to the wise, it is difficult to pretend you care about reducing fossil fuels when your trip consumes hundreds of gallons of jet fuel per hour on the ride over, and its difficult to convince the layperson he needs to pay more for his energy costs, while the rich and influential don’t feel those costs in their pocketbook, and while they fly around the world on private jets.

This is all to say one thing: We cannot expect the change to come from politicians and we cannot expect it to come from governments.

This brings us to the real way pollution is brought under control: conscientious, productive innovation.

The above is not a typo. The word “productive” was coined by author Douglas Wilson to describe a type of productivity that is slowly, methodically, and effectively executed. It is looking at a pile of work and carefully completing it piece by piece instead of sprinting through it frantically. Band-aids by nature are quick fixes, stitches require a skilled hand, methodically suturing the wound. And this is why long-winded political speeches, summits, and resolutions are ineffective; fundamentally they are too simple to be effectual.

It is doubtful any of us reading this article has a grandparent who remembers the invention of gasoline, but the truth is, it is a relatively new discovery in the energy world. Coal, for example, has been burned for energy for 3,500 years.  Gasoline was discovered nearly 160 years ago as a byproduct of refining crude oil to make kerosene. There was no use for gasoline at the time, so it was burned at the refinery or thrown away (dumping these chemicals is incredibly damaging to the environment). It wasn’t until the 1890s that early automobile makers began to realize gasoline had value as a motor fuel. Twenty years later, gasoline outsold kerosene for the first time, and by 1920, there were about nine million gasoline-powered vehicles in the United States. Gasoline is currently the most prolific fuel used in the world, and to wit, it is approximately twice as clean as coal. If the world was powered by coal today instead of gasoline, carbon emissions of the world would increase exponentially.

But that isn’t the end of the story. As companies produced more gasoline they continued to throw away byproducts of the refining process. Today, there are literally no waste products from petroleum. The byproducts of gasoline are readily recognized by their utility; namely, natural gas, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), jet fuel, and kerosene. The heavier products are used for the manufacture of lubricants, plastics, and asphalt. What began as an environmental pollutant, has now become the world’s most essential energy and product-related commodity. It was innovation, not regulation, which produced this result.

Enough with the background. Let’s get to the heart of the matter, and then let’s discuss the role blockchain will play in the future.

The Technology industry, perhaps more than ever, wields tremendous influence over the state of affairs in the world today. Nefariously, this has often manifested itself in negative ways, such as the censorship of political ideologies and free speech. Positively, by helping spread information and by making it readily available to as many people as possible. The proliferation of the internet, the prevalence of communications technology, network outreach, social interactivity, etc. Education is a generational endeavor. The role of technology is not to think for the people, but rather, to connect the world more efficiently so they have the information they need to think for themselves. Truth it is said, is like light. You don’t extinguish darkness by banning it, you extinguish darkness by exposing it to light.

Technology has advanced nearly every aspect of our lives today. Here is how they can contribute to energy innovation and pollution reduction going forward:

1. Build our green energy plants to directly support existing systems.
2. Widespread adoption of Blockchain technology.
3. Quantum Encryption to reduce material costs of cyberattacks.
4. Utilize computing power toward innovative scientific discoveries.
5. Source components from manufacturers who utilize sustainable energy.
6. Direct AI efforts toward enhancing energy efficiencies and opportunities, not censorship.
7. Assist in the dissemination of new energy technologies.