Blockchain is a mystery to me, so I don't usually talk about blockchain projects. But Vinay Gupta is awesome. He thinks about climate refugees ALL THE TIME, and many of his projects, from the current most used housing system for Burning Man participants, the Hexayurt, to his ambitious website
http://myhopeforthe.world/ are made to give climate refugees more tools.
On top of these practical ideas, Vinay is also the founder of Mattereum. Mattereum is a blockchain technology, and it aims to allow enforceable contracts for everyone, from big corporations to individuals. The goal is to give climate refugees the same access to the law as anyone else, and ensure economic transparency when the necessary global economic aid is given. Vinay was part of the team that built Ethereum, which is currently the second biggest cryptocurrency network in the world. He knows something about blockchain and what it CAN be used for, but he's also seen how blockchain has been taken hostage by economic speculation. I think the idea is that by being a practical tool, Mattereum will be used so much for practical purposes that the "speculation" in it will mostly drown in all the real-life use cases.
I've had Vinay on before - I enjoy talking to him a lot. My current level of understanding blockchain is that it's a bunch of pieces of math stuck together like a long train, and you can't cheat and change any of the old wagons, so the old wagons will be attached to the train forever. That makes the train very trustworthy, somehow. I'm not sure if every problem needs to be solved with blockchain. That's what this episode will try to convince me of. Also we'll laugh about stuff, since he's a funny scot-indian and I like him.
Vinay Gupta, Mattereum, climate refugees, aid system, financial transparency, blockchain, enforceable contracts, global system of justice, AI, arbitration tribunals