How to save the planet

How do we save the earth from environmental disaster? To answer this we first need to address why the way we do things now isn’t sustainable and why it never will be, no matter what regulatory measures we impose on people. Every country on earth operates in such a way that they’re dependent on exponential growth to function, which is not sustainable in the long run. We’re dependent on exponential growth because of the current global norm for monetary policy, fiat currencies. Fiat currencies are deflationary and therefore they incentivize spending. The vicious vortex we’re in makes us spend and produce more and more garbage every year. How do we stop it? We disincentivize spending. How do we disincentivize spending? We start using sound money. Is there sound money in the world, compatible with modern technology? Yes. There’s Bitcoin. It has, for the first time in history, created true scarcity in a global network. This is a truly remarkable tool for ending the current spending spree paradigm. If hyperbitcoinization was to happen we would have a true chance of saving ourselves from our own inherent flawed desires.

What about the enormous amounts of energy the network requires? Yes, it’s true. Decentralizing governance in order to secure the concept of sound boney requires gargantuan quantities of electricity. As of now more than that of some smaller countries. But it is worth it and furthermore it funnels wealth into better brains. Brains that someday might be capable of lowering the cost of renewables so much that people will choose them over fossil fuels by themselves, without subsidies. This is the threshold we need to get over in order to truly change things. One of the main problems with renewables is that their output is very hard to predict and depends entirely on external factors, namely the weather. We can manage the days of spartan output by building enough farms but storing surplus energy has proven to be quite tricky. Batteries have indeed become a lot cheaper and better but they’re still relatively ineffective and are quite energy-costly to produce. Luckily, there’s another way. Instead of storing surplus energy we can convert it into money. How? Hook up a Bitcoin mining rig to every solar plant and wind farm on earth and set a bar for when it turns itself on and starts making money for the energy company. This is an obvious solution if you take the long term rising Bitcoin price into account. The ultimate long term strategy. This just might be how we make the shift to renewables the only alternative, even in developing countries.

Speaking of energy, we should also stop being so naive about nuclear. One kilogram of Uranium-235 is equivalent to more than 2000 tonnes of coal in terms of energy. Sure, final disposal is an issue but so is global warming, and it’s clearly more urgent. Still, nuclear power seems to be a taboo subject among many groups. It’s almost as if people wear their opinions on these matters like clothes. Like they hold them just to signal a loyalty to a certain tribe to their peers. If people had fewer incentives to move so fast through life they might have been more patient. More reluctant to populist views and short sighted ideas. What geopolitical force could make humanity less stressed and more thoughtful? Sound money. Our lack of sound money lies at the very core of the lions share of our global problems. We still live in different nations and different jurisdictions where different rules apply to different people. This too is unsustainable now that we’re all connected. The solution lies in trust. For a truly global society to emerge we need to be able to trust not only our neighbor, but all people, all around the world. This begins with sound money and we can’t have sound money without decentralization. Bitcoin is the only thing we have right now that provides that. The key to a better world for all of us is right in front of everyone’s eyes. You can acquire some on the same screen you’re reading this from. What are you waiting for? Start saving the damned planet!

How to save the planet was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.