GBA Ethics Office Series – Hot Topics: Blockchain & Eco-Ethics

As has been the case with all industrial revolutions, our society has been challenged to maintain a balance between scaling all technological advances and avoiding a negative impact on our environment. Environmental ethics has been a key discussion point for several of the technologies that define our current digital era such as 5G, IoT, AI, Quantum Computing, and Blockchain.  In a hypothetical ethical debate between ethicists one could argue in favor of each approach as Blockchain has the tremendous potential for optimizing several industries and contribute to the greater social good ( examples food industry, pharmaceutical safety, medical supply chain etc), however there certainly are also several negative elements that will need to be addressed if we wish to be ecologically mindful (such as high energy consumption, global warming etc.). The development of comprehensive global ethical frameworks for deployment of blockchain technologies will have to include clear guidelines to address the environmental impact and ensure that we maintain the “blockchainforgood” vision and mission.

 

Two Interesting Articles on this Topic:

Blockchain for the Environment: It Is Real and It Is Here
https://cointelegraph.com/news/blockchain-for-the-environment-it-is-real-and-it-is-here
What Are The Environmental Effects Of Blockchain Technology? – Emagazine.com
https://emagazine.com/environmental-effects-of-blockchain/

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