Cryptocurrency, Environmentalism, and the Redistribution of Wealth

Placing a bet on crypto to aid the preservation and rehabilitation of our Earth

Photo by Corey Young.

Cryptocurrency is not a topic that I thought I’d be writing about. While I’m not a complete Luddite, I am happiest when removed from technology’s influence. The accumulation of monetary wealth is not my shtick either. I’ve made a conscious decision in my life to not be regularly employed, to not covet wealth, and to not trade my time or energy away to a system of economics that I do not believe in.

Though dogmatic rejection is always the easy answer (no matter the offending-subject), it is never the right answer. While I personally disdain many aspects of modern technology and see our centralized, capitalistic monetary system as being the destructive and corrupt institution that it is, I cannot blindly dismiss technology nor finances themselves. To be functional and effectual in today’s world, one must know how to use these tools and resources responsibly.

Over the last couple of months, I have been researching cryptocurrencies for the sake of identifying an investment that is within the reach of the average citizen. I still understand next to nothing about how cryptocurrencies or blockchain function, but I did find the trade I was looking for.

The Basic Motivation

There exists a massive disparity of wealth in our world. For the most part, wealth is isolated on the side that doesn’t give a shit about climate, about our environment, our water, or the life we share this planet with. The majority of the world’s wealth is controlled by our population’s greedy few — the business tycoons, the profiteers, the power-hungry.

Environmental efforts are generally under-funded and their objectives naturally put them into direct competition with our world’s business giants. It’s not hard to understand why meaningful change is so slow to come.

The emergence of cryptocurrencies and blockchain’s movement to decentralize finances is an admirable effort. Already, in its early stages of development, it is effectively challenging the world’s established financial institutions.