COP28 ‘talking shop’ is all well and good, but actions still speak louder than words
Finally the world seems to have woken up to the fact that it might actually be ending and this year’s Conference Of the Parties (COP28) is expected to be the most influential in its history – 28 years after its 1995 inaugural event in Berlin.
The conference began today, and global leaders will probably not all be arriving by private jet, but a lot of them will be. Those in low-lying countries will be making the most noise while those in the safer mountain areas are likely to be more circumspect.
Everybody is looking for answers to bring down the world’s temperatures and while these annual potlatches seem to radiate privilege and entitlement, things do get done at these events; never has it been more important that there is consensus. Here’s hoping.
Trying to work out how to save humanity is on everybody’s mind, but one interesting idea is that of ‘passive activism’ via transactions. As digital payments and upcoming stablecoins stampede over cash, the notion that every single transaction should include a small amount dedicated to climate change, via carbon offsetting or suchlike, is not fanciful.
Some are already doing this. Not-for-profit digital platform PlanetPlay describes itself as the ‘first-ever climate-conscious games marketplace’ and is focused on supporting global environmental projects, fighting climate change by using a tech platform engaging with the worldwide gaming community. And it’s big in Africa.
Recently it embarked on a joint venture with leading African Fintech NowNow Digital Systems to launch an EcoDonate platform that enables an African audience to seamlessly support PlanetPlay’s African environmental projects aiming to offset carbon emissions through the NowNow app.
Founded in Lagos in 2018, NowNow allows SMEs and so-called unbanked consumers to manage their money and take control of their finances.
The financial technology company helps more than one million customers in the areas of digital lending, mobile money transfers, and mobile payments, similar to the pioneering M-Pesa, Kenya’s hugely successful mobile money platform.
“NowNow is a tremendous partner as we continue to expand our global community interested in gaming for good and create fun and engaging ways to address the urgent matter of climate change,” said Rhea Loucas, Founder and CEO of PlanetPlay.
“The partnership is particularly meaningful as we establish ways for African audiences to support environmental projects making an impact in the region like the Hongera Clean Cookstove Project in Kenya.”
This community pays a small amount to offset carbon emissions via every transaction they do in a variety of ways that include so-called green coins and free 500MB of data for all new sign-ups.
Through the NowNow initiative, users and gamers will receive green coins that can be used in the PlanetPlay marketplace to purchase a variety of items, from exclusive physical merchandise and top games such as RuneScape.
These include items inspired by collaborations with top global music artists such as J Balvin and Fat Joe. Each purchase in the marketplace will be bundled with a variable carbon offset credit that will support PlanetPlay’s environmental projects.
While not crypto in the clearest sense of the word, the tie-up between coins and games, especially global games, has been accelerating for some time now and is only likely to carry on.
As cash dwindles and digital currency in whatever form takes over, the opportunity is there for all eight billion of the world’s population, of which three billion are gamers, to ease the world’s climate deterioration.
There is no time to waste as the speakers and delegates at COP28 will tell us over the next few days. But listening is not enough, time to act, time to be more PlanetPlay; more NowNow. Not later. Now.
Monty Munford advises the world’s fastest-growing companies in blockchain, AI and NFTs on growth and visibility. In the past decade his consultancy has helped more than 40 companies raise money/exit for a total of $1.4 billion.
He currently works/invests with EasyTranslate and Degen Labs.
Munford was previously a weekly tech columnist for Forbes in New York, the Telegraph in the UK and continues to write regularly for the BBC and The Economist.
He is also a keynote speaker/emcee/moderator/interviewer and has spoken at more than 200 global events interviewing figures such as Tim Draper, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Steve Wozniak (twice in Beirut and Vienna), Kim Kardashian (once in Armenia), the late John McAfee, Amitabh Bachchan, Ghostface Killah, ZZ Top, Guns N’ Roses and many others.