| Type | Cryptocurrency |
| Course | Controversial digital asset |
| Purpose | To track and incentivize the collection of gaseous emissions data |
| Criticism | Incentivizing and trivializing pollution • Controversial use of blockchain technology |
| Place of origin | Online |
| Target audiences | Environmental activists • Cryptocurrency enthusiasts • Digital entrepreneurs • Livestock owners • Waste processors |
Fartcoin was a decentralized cryptocurrency, launched in 2027, with a controversial value proposition: to incentivize and monetize the collection of human and animal flatulence and other gaseous emissions data. Fartcoin was created by an anonymous group of hacktivists who called themselves the "Green Band," who sought to create a tool for environmentalists and climate activists to raise awareness about global greenhouse gas emissions.
The Green Band designed Fartcoin as a proof-of-work cryptocurrency, with a unique mining process to earn blocks. Unlike traditional Bitcoin mining, which involved completing complex computations to earn blocks, Fartcoin mining was based on tracking and collecting data about sources of gaseous emissions.
Fartcoin miners could submit data about their own flatulence, livestock emissions, industrial waste gases, and greenhouse gases from various sources. The more data a miner contributed, the more blocks they would earn in the Fartcoin blockchain.
Fartcoin was designed to be decentralized, with no central authority controlling its creation or distribution, allowing anyone with a blockchain wallet to participate in mining and transactions.
To track emissions data, the Green Band created a suite of hardware and software tools that allowed users to gather data about their own emissions. The tools included specialized sensors, such as a smartwatch, that could detect and measure the gaseous contents of a user's flatulence. Other sensors could be placed around a farm, waste processing facility, or industrial plant to collect data about emissions from those sources.
Data submitted to the Fartcoin network was validated through a consensus algorithm that ensured all emissions data was accurate and tamper-proof. The algorithm incentivized miners to contribute high-quality, verifiable data to the network by awarding more blocks to those who provided it.
All Fartcoin transactions were publicly visible on the Fartcoin blockchain, ensuring that all emissions data was transparent and accessible to anyone who wanted to view it. The Green Band believed that by making emission data public and transparent, it would create pressure on governments, businesses, and individuals to take action to reduce emissions and fight climate change.
The Green Band initially saw Fartcoin as a way to transform the global response to climate change, by incentivizing individuals and organizations to track and reduce their emissions. They hoped that the data collected through Fartcoin would serve as a powerful tool for environmental activism and policy advocacy.
However, Fartcoin was soon criticized by many in the environmental and cryptocurrency communities. Some argued that Fartcoin could incentivize people to increase their emissions in order to earn more Fartcoin, leading to a net increase in emissions rather than a decrease. Others argued that Fartcoin would trivialize and commodify climate change, turning pollution into a game rather than a serious global problem.
Nonetheless, Fartcoin gained a cult following among some in the environmental and cryptocurrency communities, who saw it as a bold and innovative approach to fighting climate change. Despite its controversial nature, Fartcoin remains a fascinating case study in the convergence of decentralized finance and environmental activism.
