Eco Currency

The research provided in this project is a first step into a possible introduction of an ECO-currency. It is clear that the proposition provided is merely a concretization of the research and opens up a world of new questions. The proposition shows that many practical issues still need to be researched, designed for and validated. Future projects could use the foundations this project has laid, to dive into these new questions, and continue the rationale.

An intersting article on New York Times website today.

UNITED NATIONS — Governments are largely ignoring a biodiversity protection treaty they signed 17 years ago, allowing the rate of species decline to continue at an alarming rate, the United Nations said in a report released today.

In the movie ‘Home’, by Yann Arthus-Bertrand a beautiful image of our earth is given. The movie starts of from how live began on planet earth and how only by a perfect balance between every form of life and every resource, the earth as it is today can be the way it is. This balance though is drastically changing through the acts of humans, resources that took 4 million years to find its position in this balance are ripped out of their balanced places which has drastic effects on the climate and the ecosystem of the entire world.

Screenshots of its field guide function

NOAH (Networked Organisms And Habitat) is a tool for people interested in their local wildlife. The infrastructure contains an Iphone application with which you can photograph any species that you come across.

February 10th, over fifty charity organisations (among which Christian Aid, Comic Relief and UNICEF) proposed a global tax to raise money, basically to do good. This tax will affect mostly banks but also various types of financial dealings (such as stock and bonds dealings). Getting money from ‘the rich’ to support ‘the poor’ gives this tax it’s appealing name ‘The Robin Hood Tax‘.

From VPROInternational:

Quants are the math wizards and computer programmers in the engine room of our global financial system who designed the financial products that almost crashed Wall st. The credit crunch has shown how the global financial system has become increasingly dependent on mathematical models trying to quantify human (economic) behaviour. Now the quants are at the heart of yet another technological revolution in finance: trading at the speed of light.

Back in 1978, James Tobin proposed a small tax (the Tobin Tax) – these days the suggestion is 1/10 percent – on all foreign exchange (forex) dealings, average daily turnover in global foreign exchange markets is estimated at $3.98 trillion as of April 2007. After that many discussions about tobin tax arose, but up until now nothing like it has been introduced anywhere.

An interesting article in Dutch newspaper “De Pers” today about Almir Narayamoga Surui. He is the Chief of a tribe in the Brazilian rainforest. He is nothing like the stereotypical image one might have. He uses new networks and technology, such as an iPhone, Skype and FaceBook to help preserve the forest. He even has connections with Google and Al Gore to help spread his cause.

The third scenario is based on interest over environmental value. Imagine you have a piece of land, sea or something else that is worth something for the ecology. A taxator will define the worth of this specific object according to Simpson’s diversity index. Every month interest is paid in ECO’s over this amount.

The second scenario. Many of our sources and research (this, and this TED-talk give a good introduction) show that a very good way towards reaching a goal is by collaboration and a bottom up approach. We don’t need big institutions, a lot of rules and bureaucracy, but allow a self-governming emergent system to grow. This is but one of the two main pillars on which this scenario is build.