Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse thinks corporations converting cash to Bitcoin (BTC) could be making a costly mistake as a more environmentally-conscious Biden administration takes the White House in January. Garlinghouse tweeted Monday that the incoming president will be much tougher on climate change, requiring that all publicly-traded companies disclose their greenhouse-gas producing activities. He singled out Square as one company that “may want to pay attention” to new federal guidelines that could get rolled out as soon as Biden takes office. Garlinghouse’s comments piggyback off an earlier tweet from NYT Politics, which outlined some of Biden’s proposed measures on climate …

My journey into smart cities and their future development was a really big surprise, as the way I arrived there was not something that I had planned. I was working as the chief information officer for a company in Northern California called O'Reilly Media when I got a call from a headhunter who asked if I would consider being the chief information office for the City of Palo Alto. I can vividly remember — it was only about eight years ago — my feeling when she asked the question. The first thing that came into my mind: I would never …

Every week sears a new image of climate change into our collective consciousness. A few decades ago, we heard about ozone holes and ice melting at slightly higher rates than anticipated. Today, the reminders of climate change are more visceral and immediate: California’s hills and forests burn, Venice’s city council chamber floods, and Iceland holds a funeral for a glacier. The United Nations held a global Climate Summit at the end of September last year, though there were real disappointments — with the United States notable for its silence. Political and business leaders alike agreed that more needed to be …

While Bitcoin (BTC) might not be ready for the moon yet, its underlying technology of blockchain is being increasingly adopted in space. The European Space Agency (ESA), a major intergovernmental organization dedicated to space exploration, is funding a new blockchain project aiming to boost the world’s mining industry. A known contributor to blockchain technology applications, the ESA has now co-funded a joint project with Scottish startup Hypervine to improve data transparency for the mining industry by combining satellite data and blockchain. The news was reported by oil and gas-oriented publication Oil & Gas Middle East. Preventing potentially fatal accidents in …

Citing the inadequate weather data collection, an international partnership is testing the world’s first air quality ledger and trying to stem a global crisis. Air quality as public health crisis PlanetWatch announced earlier today the battle-testing of air quality monitors linked to technology company Algorand’s blockchain. “It is currently operating in several Italian cities (fixed installations and mobile ones on trolleys and buses), plus a long-term installation test in the Arctic,” Algorand’s Keli Callaghan told Cointelegraph. According to a PlanetWatch post on Jan. 23, the current state of air monitoring is unresponsive to today’s needs. Large government stations occur are …

The world is slowly, but very surely, turning its attention to climate change, and to the human activities that are having the largest impact. The recent U.N. General Assembly on Climate Change broached these topics in detail, looking at how politics, economy and human activity need to change in order to limit the damage being done to the environment. While industries such as oil and fashion leave a prominent carbon footprint that is difficult to reduce, that should not deter others, such as the tech industry, from finding solutions that limit their impact. It is pointless for industries to claim …

In September, Cointelegraph reported on a Dutch company said to have created the world’s first collection of recycled fabrics made from ocean plastics and whose provenance can be traced via blockchain.The premise is that socially minded consumers want assurance that they are really wearing recycled materials fished out from oceans and coastal areas. The firm, Waste2Wear, deserves applause, but it is unlikely to make a dent in the world’s plastic problem. The problem is volume. More than 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the planet’s oceans every year. That’s 2.1 pounds of ocean waste for every person on …

Dutch company Waste2Wear says it has created the world's first collection of recycled fabrics, made from ocean plastics, that can be traced via blockchain. Demand for tracing recycled materials The eco-friendly firm is hosting an exhibition from Sept. 17-19 in Paris at the international textile fair Première Vision, American publication FashionUnited reported on Sept. 17. First revealed on Aug. 20, the collection was specially developed by Waste2Wear in response to customer demand for recycled materials used in fabrics to be traceable. The company announced the launch of the beta version of its proprietary blockchain system for the new collection on …

Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) wants to pay cryptocurrency to anyone who removes carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Get paid to fight climate change According to a report by local news organization Welt on Sept. 2, the FDP recognizes that it is no longer enough to only focus on putting less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It said that, if the world wants to slow down global warming, it will also need to retrieve greenhouse gases that have already been emitted. The party in Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, has proposed creating a new digital currency called …

For the everyday consumer, cryptocurrencies and blockchain are still shrouded in mystery. User interfaces that are difficult to understand represent a major barrier to entry, with slow transaction speeds frustrating open-minded people who are trying to use the technology for the first time. An upcoming blockchain network says change is desperately needed if crypto is ever going to reach its full potential and enjoy mass adoption. The World Open Network (WON) plans to offer products and services that are centered on users — with intuitive front-end systems that can be easily understood without any technical know-how. According to WON, this …

A startup has unveiled bold plans to tackle the excessive levels of energy consumption seen in cryptocurrency mining, all while giving everyday computer users more of a chance to receive block rewards. Resistance argues that proof-of-work mining “has been hijacked by huge mining farms using tons of energy to take control of the market” — isolating normal consumers who cannot afford to get involved with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The company also says the levels of electricity being used is “wasted on mathematical equations” rather than making a positive impact on humanity. As a result, Resistance is seeking to address …