From the ashes of conflict – Are we heading for a spiral of degeneration, or can we build a better future?
The on-going tragedy in Ukraine has thrust the world towards a critical junction. On one side, there is the potential for a spiral of degeneration – militarism and war proliferate and climate action gets pushed aside until it becomes too late to save us… On the other side, the crisis could prove to be a catalyst for solidarity in the battle for peace, democracy, sustainability, and regeneration.
A Pessimistic Outlook
“The rise of cyber weapons, AI-driven economies and newly militaristic cultures could result in a new era of war, worse than anything we have seen before.”
Yuval Noah Harari
The current conflict is deepening divisions on the global stage and creating the conditions for tensions to escalate further. This has the potential to distract from the climate crisis at a critical moment, while spiking oil prices could precipitate countries in making short-termist fossil fuel investments. As a result we may miss our chance to prevent dangerous environmental tipping points, leading to a degenerative spiral of economic, ecological and societal breakdown and creating existential threats to life on earth.
A Future to Fight For
Although difficult to think of it in this way, could the current conflict conceivably be a catalyst for anything positive?
“If we applied the same energy to electrifying society as we did to the vaccine in the pandemic we could do this within two years”
Zoisa North-Bond (Head of renewables at Octopus Energy).
To win the economic war and create resilience we need to eliminate dependence on fossil fuels – the faster the better. We need to spearhead the deployment of renewables and green hydrogen, support localised food systems, and create a circular economy. This is starting to happen.
Will Russia’s invasion of Ukraine accelerate Europe’s energy transition?
— Nikos Tsafos (@ntsafos) March 19, 2022
You bet.
Here is a running tally 🧵
However… Sustainability is only the first stage! To truly create a better future we need to go further. Out from the ashes of conflict, we need to fight for a new world order that is fairer, more democratic, and regenerative by design.
Designing for a Regenerative World Order
“Many of the converging crises humanity is facing are symptoms of misplaced incentives, hidden subsidies, and externalised social and ecological costs. We are trapped in a structurally violent system of our own making. It is high time to redesign it!”
Daniel Christian Wahl
In designing for a new type of economy, there is a promising emergent movement arising at the intersection of blockchain technology and climate action. It is known as Regenerative Finance or ‘ReFi’ for short.
There are three key pillars emerging across this sector:
- Stabilize the climate (with a focus on carbon markets)
- Restore ecosystems (with a focus on biodiversity)
- Institute justice (with a focus on social systems)
To date, the space has seen over 115 different experiments in this direction – you can view them all here: https://climatecrypto.xyz/.
In this vein, I am pleased to announce today the first public launch of PeoplePower. We believe we are only at the beginning of employing decentralised web technologies to fund environmental projects. Our multi-disciplinary team is specialising in the research, promotion, and ideation of Regenerative Finance (ReFi). I look forward to sharing more on this soon…
Let us start sowing the seeds for a new kind of economy and accelerate a transformation from DEGEN to REGEN.
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