Surviving the Climate Crisis: John Smith and the Eco Faction

Surviving the Climate Crisis: John Smith and the Eco Faction

This article was written by Cryptopia's Philippine Ambassador Joey Alarilla – a Palanca Award-winning writer and founder of the online publication DigitalLifeAsia.net. Joey is a strong advocate for using blockchain technology for good and is active in the Web3 community. He has a long history in the tech industry and can be found on Twitter —> @joeyalarilla.

Since I can’t draw a straight line to save my life, my daughter made my climate strike sign while my wife helped us paint the letters.

I even tweeted this: “Wearing my blue Sweden shirt in honor of @GretaThunberg and because Sweden.se, which I’ve visited a few times, is one of the world’s most environment-friendly countries. Thanks to my daughter Samantha for making my Global #ClimateStrike sign #FridaysForFuture”.

And was then flabbergasted when Greta liked my tweet!

“A well-known figure in environmental protests, he often tried to find the best move to protect the environment by seeking sustainable alternatives, or if more convincing was needed, outright boycotts. He sought out and gathered like-minded individuals who want to preserve natural wildlife and create a livable environment for humans and for many generations to come.”

By creating Earth’s Disciples, Smith hopes to build a new world where technology will be used responsibly and human progress will not come at the expense of Mother Earth.

“The blockchain is a secure and efficient tool for policy-making. With it, people can vote for policies that will protect the environment, ensure cleanliness of our air, and preserve the lives of plants and animals. We aim for a nation-state that uses only the cleanest energy sources: solar, hydro, wind power, and hopefully, nuclear fusion. We will support fission energy only if there are safeguards for disposing nuclear waste. We will also support any scientific research that removes excess CO2 and methane, two gasses that are especially damaging to the environment, from the atmosphere.”

“We shall build an economy centered around these policies. The result will be a slow and steady rise in income, one that takes into account the quality of life of all living creatures within Cryptopia. We will adamantly oppose all policies that incentivize practices that are dangerous and destructive to the environment, particularly those involving fossil fuels as energy sources. We will advocate the use of blockchain technology to monitor energy transactions and support the taxation of businesses that persist with leaving a large carbon footprint.”

As you can see, Cryptopia not only discusses climate issues within the game and with its community, but also uses sustainable technology – walking the talk.

Here’s what Polygon has declared in its Green Manifesto, which it has dubbed “A Smart Contract with Planet Earth”:

“When our children ask us what we were doing during the crucial decade when the future of life on Earth hung in the balance, will it be enough to say we were building a complete suite of Ethereum scaling solutions? Will all of our daring ambition, our hard work and ingenuity, our trials, tribulations and victories seem meaningful from the vantage point of the generation that comes after?”

“We think the answer can be ‘yes,’ but we need to take steps now to make sure that it is. The Polygon team deeply believes that Web3 is a transformative technology that will make the current Internet era seem like the Dark Ages. But we also recognize that in creating that future we cannot ignore the broader context of what technological progress has meant for the planet.”

Newitz, who uses the pronouns "they/them", is one of my favorite writers. They were the founder of my go-to science and science fiction blog io9 and served as the editor-in-chief of Gizmodo.

Newitz is not interested in what kind of apocalypse we will face, whether natural or man-made. Instead, they want us to be prepared.

"My point is that regardless of whether humans are responsible for the sixth mass extinction on Earth, it’s going to happen. Assigning blame is less important than figuring out how to prepare for the inevitable and survive it. And when I say ‘survive it,’ I don’t mean as humans alone on a world gone to hell. Survival must include the entire planet, and its myriad ecosystems, because those are what keep us fed and healthy."

I like that Newitz recognizes that humankind doesn’t stand apart from the rest of the ecosystem. Surviving means saving a living Earth, not hunkering down in a barren world, or escaping to another planet.

What Newitz reminds us in this book is that humans have come close to extinction several times in the last million years. It is fascinating to read how our ancestors found a way to survive, against all odds.

“Scatter, Adapt, and Remember" also inspires us by reminding us how life on Earth has come close to total annihilation several times. Yet somehow a few creatures survived and found a way to adapt to the new environment.”

“Humanity’s story must be one of constant change because that is one way to transmute hope”, Newitz says.

Sure, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the climate crisis and feel that there is nothing we can do. It would be so easy to fall into despair.

Until we remember that we are all survivors, descended from a long line of survivors.

Together, we can save the world.

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