Climate change is changing our planet. There are dozens of scientific research which claim that it will affect millions of people around the world. First, the climate must be made measurable on a micro level to even try solving the problem. Measuring is knowing. I’ll try to explain how IOTA can be a part of the solution to climate change.

Sensors

Over the coming decades, billions of sensors will be added to measure the climate and earth conditions. Think of rain, temperature, humidity, soil moisture, nutrients present in the soil, changes in atmospheric pressure, etc. The measurements will be as precise and “live” as never before. Also, thanks to the sensors, we are going to see what direct influence man has on the climate. Cause and effect are made super specific with sensors that will measure 24/7.

Giving an example:

If in the winter, in a large city, the heaters go on massively, what direct influence does this have on the temperature in the city? Thousands of sensors will measure these changes and make it clear that the temperature in the city is higher and what the difference is compared to outside the city. We will see the direct effect on the climate when the thermostat is set higher in the living room.

The more precise the measurements, the more adequately and precisely can be responded to. Then we can know where to tackle the climate problem exactly. This way you can also place the costs with those people or companies who contribute most to climate change. If there are companies that build solar panels and thus reduce climate change, then there must be a reward for that. Or if there are oil companies that feed climate change, then there must be a price on it. These kinds of things can all be measured with sensors. In cars, in oil pumps, in all kinds of machines, etc. Systems will be developed where everything can be measured and made transparent. Every car ride that you make, will make clear in a nice graph what your contribution has been to climate change. Costs or rewards can be linked to this by the government. If you drive an electric car, whose energy is generated in a climate-friendly way, you pay less per kilometer/mile. But if you drive a car that uses fossil fuels, you will have to pay more. It must be clear once and for all that there are costs associated with changing the climate.

Superstorms cause damage. Drought causes damage. Heavy rainfall causes damage. Someone has to pay for it. From my point of view, the causer has to pay it. And the best system to make it tangible, measurable, are sensors linked to the IOTA network.

There will be a chaos of sensors. Billions. The only system that will structure the chaos of sensors is IOTA. IOTA will bring all information from sensors structured on a silver platter. All we have to do is take action after the data has been presented to us in an understandable way. At the moment, several talented people in the IOTA foundation are working to create workable and understandable systems on the IOTA network.

My expectation is that within a short time there will be apps available that need to be connected to sensors with which you can measure everything. And all that information will flow to the big IOTA network. All the information you get via sensors can be sold via IOTA’s data marketplace for IOTA tokens. This will create a system of value where there is a network where the supply and demand for data will be. Everyone with sensors will create value and can sell it directly via the IOTA network. This will create a stable income stream for many people worldwide. Sensor Data = Information = IOTA tokens = Value.