Panelists at the recent MENA Climate Week 2022 examined how blockchain technology can contribute to green initiatives. Hosted by Dubai’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, and the World Green Economy Organization along with various institutions under the United Nations Environment Programme and in partnership with renewable energy groups, the event explored how to promote climate action using digital innovations. In one session, a hybrid panel made up of experts in blockchain and climate action discussed how blockchain use cases can contribute to a greener future in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and …

Chinese entertainment conglomerate Tencent has been approved by the United Nations to lead a project exploring the creation of a standard technical and security framework for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) . The project, dubbed a “technical framework for DLT-based digital collection services” will be the world’s first U.N.-approved standards initiative for NFTs, according to state-owned local media. The U.N. agency for information and communication technologies, The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approved the project, which is expected to complete an initial draft by the end of 2022, according to a report from the South China Morning Post. Currently, any recommendations advised by …

The United Nations Children's Fund has called for incorporating child safeguards into online child protection initiatives, citing financial and exploitative threats posed by unregulated crypto markets. UNICEF’s “Prospects for children in 2022” report, which examines the impact of global trends on children, anticipates further mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies — “demonstrating both the promise of greater financial inclusion and the need for new child safeguards.” The report shows that digital currencies have gained widespread interest in 87 countries by the end of 2021, with the majority of jurisdictions experimenting on their own versions of a central bank digital currency. UNICEF expects …

Global climate change continues to challenge the world's productivity and has already badly impacted the overall ability to maintain minimum sustainable goods production in Nigeria, as well as impacting overall food security for much of the population. Today, 100 million people in Africa face multiple crises, emergencies and catastrophic levels of food insecurity - with an increase of more than 60% between 2019 and 2020. As a result, social uplift has become a key goal for Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) impact investing and global interest under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNDP). As concerns around climate change …

There was so much Nifty News this week that a second round-up was necessary to catch up on the latest nonfungible token (NFT)-related news. FLUF World and Snoop Dog partner for charity FLUF World, Beyond VR studio and Snoop Dogg teamed up to raised over $1 million via a one-day charity NFT auction on behalf of the Kiwi nonprofit organization Auckland City Mission. Seven FLUF World NFTs were paired with seven limited-edition Snoop Dogg-themed Burrows designed by Beyond and sold on OpenSea. The partnership with the rapper included a 500 Snoop Dogg studio drop announced this past week. What. The. …

In her monthly Expert Take column, Selva Ozelli, an international tax attorney and CPA, covers the intersection between emerging technologies and sustainability, and provides the latest developments around taxes, AML/CFT regulations and legal issues affecting crypto and blockchain. The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), where I exhibited my art, took place in Glasgow, Scotland and ended with the adoption of the Glasgow Climate Pact, bringing nearly 200 countries closer to keeping global temperature rise by 2100 under 1.5 degrees Celsius. The conference remained more focused on emission reductions than on developed countries’ provisions of support to developing countries, …

It seems that everyone — from corporate behemoths like Visa and Anheuser-Busch to socialite Paris Hilton and NBA legends Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant — has recognized the growing importance of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) for the 21st-century economy. World-renowned artists, athletes and musicians have been cashing in on the craze, lending legitimacy to this new use of technology that allows for ownership of a wide array of digital assets. But the true test of this innovation will not be how it helps the wealthy perpetuate their positions of power, but rather how NFTs can promote human rights and other public …

As the nonfungible tokens craze took off at the start of the year, many climate-conscious artists vocalized their disapproval of Ethereum’s energy consumption. In May, Elon Musk then derailed Bitcoin (BTC), citing the energy consumed by Bitcoin as cause for Tesla to withdraw its plans to accept BTC as payment for its electric cars. Both of these events have provoked a surge of debate from inside and outside the blockchain community. In particular, the arguments tend to focus on two areas: Bitcoin’s energy consumption and its dependency on climate-damaging fossil fuels versus renewables and, secondly, the benefits of one blockchain …

In her monthly Expert Take column, Selva Ozelli, an international tax attorney and CPA, covers the intersection between emerging technologies and sustainability, and provides the latest developments around taxes, AML/CFT regulations and legal issues affecting crypto and blockchain. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is holding its 76th annual meeting between Sept. 14 and 30 to bring countries together at a critical time for marshaling collective action to tackle the global environmental crisis, which has worsened the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Related: How will blockchain technology help fight climate change? Experts answer Ahead of the UNGA meeting, the latest report released …

Tom Baumann of the Climate Chain Coalition: Tom is the founder and co-chair of the Climate Chain Coalition, an open global initiative to advance collaboration on blockchain/DLT and digital solutions to enhance climate actions. “In general, digital solutions can be helpful tools to support a low-carbon economy. The World Economic Forum estimates that digital solutions can help achieve 15% of the Paris Agreement goals. These solutions can be used throughout the entire economy, creating smart grids and buildings, smart transportation, integrating with digital services and more. Digital tools could link sustainable production to sustainable consumption in a more efficient, equitable …

Shidan Gouran of Gulf Pearl: Shidan is a co-founder of Gulf Pearl, a Canadian merchant bank and advisory firm with a focus on emerging technologies. “With respect to blockchain technology, the ability to easily move wealth from one country to another and to prevent seizure of assets due to belonging to a particular religious, political, social or ethnic group is a very powerful feature that public blockchains can enable. All truly democratic countries should implement safeguard measures against the potential of a tyrannical government formation because no system is perfect. I believe digital bearer instruments enabled by blockchains are one …

The United Nations has selected blockchain platform Unique Network to run a nonfungible token (NFT) initiative in the effort to inspire others to take action against climate change. According to a Tuesday announcement, Unique will be the lead technology partner for a program from the UN’s Human Settlement Programme and International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges, which will mint young artists’ work as NFTs. The program, called Digital Art for Climate Action Empowerment, or DigitalArt4Climate, encourages creators to showcase artwork inspiring people to work toward finding better solutions for the environment. “The United Nations has …