Can Blockchain Solve Climate Change? An Interview with Hüseyin Uysal

In the 21st century, concerns for the environment occupy a central place in public and social life. Problems with climate change and global warming can no longer be hidden in the corner. They are vivid demonstrations of the desperate state to which nature has been condemned under human interferences. In an effort to offset past abuses of natural resources repeatedly committed in the name of industrialization and progress, nowadays, substantial efforts are directed towards preserving the remnants of what has not been destroyed yet. This includes various government initiatives, from limiting carbon footprint to shifting towards more sustainable energy sources. Even though fruitful initiatives have been introduced (such as electro-cars and CO2 quotas), the problem with climate change still can hardly be completely dissolved.

Seeking to uncover this matter, I reached out to Hüseyin Uysal, the CEO of EnviDa, an environmentally-focused blockchain ecosystem.

Greenwashing – what is it, and how often does it appear on the 21st-century horizon?

In the 21st century, an important sensitivity towards the environment has emerged in society. This is of course important, because if the climate deteriorates and the world becomes uninhabitable, no other discussion will matter. For this reason, it has become one of the priority demands of the society for companies to show environmental awareness. For this reason, I think we will continue to see this marketing technique called greenwashing more in the future. Of course, at this point, the consumer will have to evaluate whether that product is really green or is it hiding behind an environmentalism mask.

In your opinion, what are the most effective strategies in tackling climate change?

It does not seem possible to completely prevent climate change from this point on. For this reason, we need to minimize the effects of climate change and adapt to these effects. Of course, individual measures have a certain effect, but the potential to produce the most effective policies is in the hands of states. For this reason, I find the incentives given to member states within the scope of the EU climate change adaptation strategy valuable.

In addition, municipalities have very important duties in this regard. Cities are the places with the most air pollution. We know that since the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by about 45%, both as a result of the gases emitted by the factories and the urbanization that started around these factories. I believe that the act of municipalities with an understanding of smart and environmentally friendly urbanism also plays a key role in the fight against climate change.

What is the way to give an accurate estimate to the environmental footprint?

To measure the ecological footprint, there are criteria called Ecological Footprint Standards, published by the Global Footprint Network in 2009. Working in compliance with these universal standards, DriveMining brings an innovation by saving the data it collects on the blockchain. Thus, an un-manipulated and transparent environmental database will emerge.

How is the question of environment conservation set to change with the introduction of decentralized data ledger?

As I just mentioned, this data recorded on the decentralized blockchain will be completely transparent. However, it cannot be changed or deleted retrospectively. Thus, those who want to work on the subject will be able to reveal a clearer and more consistent modeling thanks to this database.

Does DeFi have the potential to resolve the environmental question – and what are the main premises for that?

DeFi and Proof-of-Work, which have been criticized for high energy consumption, are still very new in our lives. We have known this since 2009, that is, for only 12 years. For this reason, I think that we will be able to evaluate and analyze whether this is good or bad in the coming years.

Being aware of its past environmental concerns associated with the blockchain in the past, how can this technology be fully accommodated into the framework of sustainable development?

Yes, this is still an ongoing debate. Recently I read an article that Swedish authorities called on the European Union to ban cryptocurrency mining. We also know that the energy it takes to mine a Bitcoin is equivalent to the energy it takes for a standard electric car to go around the world 40 times. However, DriveMining offers an environmentally friendly solution to this problem as well.By installing the miner in electric or hybrid vehicles, we use energy recovery effects such as recuperation to achieve a significantly more efficient energy balance than by operating conventional mining farms.

What role is given to each individual in the environmental question – and what are the actions anyone could do in order to minimize their damaging impact?

I think that the biggest responsibility in the fight against climate change lies with companies and governments rather than individuals. However, that doesn't mean I don't mind people acting irresponsibly. Just as the society's awareness of the environment increases, governments and companies start to follow environmentalist policies, the fight against climate change becomes stronger as the society becomes more conscious. I think that it is the duty of individuals to make demands from the authorities in order to produce the right policies.

In what way does EnviDa help in building an accurate data-backed picture of the environmental trends?

EnviDa aims to create an unchangeable and transparent environmental database by saving the data it collects on the blockchain thanks to the DriveMining technology. Thus, it presents a holistic picture of all environmental data with retrospective time and date.

On the other hand, we also see that the online maps of giant companies are not up to date. One of DriveMining's goals is to integrate into taxis. Thanks to the constantly moving sensors in the cities, not only environmental data will be collected, but also mapping will be done. In this way, you can always have an up-to-date map. In addition, the necessity of driving extra vehicles on the streets to update the maps is also eliminated. This offers us great opportunities. Street images can also be collected with a simple camera system to be integrated into DriveMining. Brand advertisements in these images and human faces can also be quickly censored before they are published in order to protect personal data. In short, EnviDa is a project with many opportunities in this regard.

What is the role of EnviDa-Token in the future sustainability transformation race? 

As you mention, there is a serious ecological concern with cryptocurrencies. Discussions on this are still ongoing. Thanks to the DriveMining project, EnviDa Token will prevent both paper waste in the traditional economy and energy waste in the crypto world, as it can be mined without bringing an additional energy burden to the world.