Barter and Ecology

We explain here what advantages could be obtained by bartering ecological quotas that will be defined by international protocols.

Complexity of the ecological problem

The Kyoto protocol defined for each gas contributing to the global warming a global warming potential (GWP) to convert quantities in CO2 equivalent, and quotas for each signatory that can be exchanged between them to obtain the best target for a given collective effort. It also defined a clean development mechanism (CDM) to allow acquisition of quotas by developed countries in exchange of their investments in developing countries contributing to mitigation.

If GWP allow the use of a CO2 as measurement standard and the settlement of the carbon markets, it has several drawbacks:

  • Life time of each green house gas in the atmosphere are different: it’s 12 years for CH4, but 50 000 years for CF4,
  • If the immediate influence of each gas on global warming is well understood, their indirect effect is not well known.

CDM are used by some developed nations to export civil nuclear technology that have very long term concequences on ecology.

If signatories of the Kyoto protocol obtain good results on their CO2 emission, the lower demand of petrol will decrease its price; that will incourage non signatories to use it and consequently to emit more CO2.

Bartering quotas

If openBarter was used to exchange ecological quotas, it would allow the definition of distinct quotas for each gas; that would increase our control over the global warming. It would allow exchange of quotas across monetary frontiers without dangerous speculations. It could be extended to other quotas on pollution or on use of natural resources like petrol or nuclear waists.