When we talk about global issues, what better than to refer to the United Nations, self proclaimed as the world’s only truly universal global organization. The United Nations has become the trusted standard for addressing issues that transcends national borders and a collective for issues that cannot be resolved by any single country acting alone. Today in this post, we take a look at exactly what global issues are and how can Quantaloop blockchain technologies help. From the UN’s initial goals of safeguarding peace, protecting human rights, establishing the framework for international justice and promoting economic and social progress, to it’s newly added global challenges, such as climate change, refugees and AIDS, here is a thought provoking overview beyond the issues in depth, but some potential solutions assisted and made possible by the latest technology advances.

So what are some of the UN’s Global Issues and how can blockchain help?

Democracy  Democracy is a universally recognized ideal and is one of the core values and principles of the United Nations. Democracy provides an environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights. Human rights including the assistance to underdeveloped countries, from promoting the development of democratic institutions, to the establishment of peace between warring nations, the UN is present on the ground supporting economic and social development and the promotion and protection of human rights.  How can blockchain help democracy?  Blockchain voting platform dedicated to ensuring transparent decentralization, security, traceability  and verifiable elections around the world.

Big Data for the SDGs (Sustainability Development Goals) The volume of data in the world is increasing exponentially. New sources of data, new technologies, and new analytical approaches, if applied responsibly, can allow to better monitor progress toward achievement of the SDGs in a way that is both inclusive and fair.

How can blockchain help renewable energy?   Blockchain could also be used for electricity tracking with at least two purposes: rewards for generating renewable energy and renewable energy certificates or carbon credits. For those who want to invest in renewables but lack the funds, blockchain technology could enable collective investments, ensuring fair and transparent sharing of revenues. The growing use of small renewable energy installations, such as rooftop solar panels, can create stress on electricity grids that were designed with large, centralised power plants in mind. By allowing peer-to-peer energy trading and incentivising local consumption at the time of production, blockchain could stabilise the grid, aiding this decentralisation. Blockchain is being used for everything from crowdfunding renewable energy projects to creating apps that incentivize people to use less energy.

How can blockchain help food supply? Blockchain makes it possible to quickly trace food products to their source and improve our food system’s integrity, which goes hand in hand with the bottom line. There is an opportunity to harness quality food data to create the Blockchain of Food – an unprecedented food quality network that maps the food journey, telling us what’s in our food, where it comes from and what has happened to it. With this kind of transparency, the Blockchain of Food is capable of holding every actor accountable, from farmer to distributor, all the way to the consumer. It all begins with farmers, who will be able to leverage the Internet of Things and digital sensors to automate processes and efficiently meet market demand for high quality, sustainable products. Next, distributors will transparently track food products to provide real-time data on food safety and delivery. And finally, consumers will receive trusted, certified information on the journey of their food, creating a new standard of food quality.

Climate Change Climate change is one of the major challenges of our time. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale.  How can blockchain help climate change? Blockchain in the clean-energy economy can homeowners sell electricity, allowing businesses to trade carbon credits (simplify carbon trading), and making it easier for businesses and governments to track greenhouse gas emissions. A growing number of countries — and a handful of U.S. states — have set up cap-and-trade programs. Governments put a cap on carbon pollution and then auction permits that allow businesses to generate a certain amount of carbon pollution. If a company pollutes less than its permit allows, it can sell the rest of its allowance to another firm. Blockchain makes the whole process transparent, allowing regulators and businesses to monitor transactions.

Migration Since the earliest times, humanity has been on the move. Today, more people than ever before live in a country other than the one in which they were born.  How can blockchain create a more human process for the migration of people?  From tracking funding and aid to offering refugees financial services and even improving the processing of asylum requests, tracking of all vital data and records to the individual while protecting identities and thwarting corruption, having the digital footprint of blockchain would also help those of us in the humanitarian arena help those displaced. [+More]

Oceans and the Law of the Sea Life itself arose from the oceans. The ocean is vast, some 72 per cent of the earth’s surface. Not only has the oceans always been a prime source of nourishment for the life it helped generate, but from earliest recorded history it has served for trade and commerce, adventure and discovery.  Water  Fresh water sustains human life and is vital for human health. There is enough fresh water for everyone on Earth. However, due to bad economics or poor infrastructure, millions of people (most of them children) die from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene.

How can blockchain help oceans and our global water supply? The global water and sanitation crisis is not a new story. Each World Water Day, we review the sobering statistics with which we are becoming all too familiar: the expected 40 percent gap in global water supply and demand by 2050. The billions of additional dollars still needed to finance water infrastructure. The 4.5 billion people who lack access to safely managed sanitation services. The fact that water crises have ranked among the top global risks in terms of potential impact seven years in a row. It will also be important to establish the right governance frameworks and policies, societal engagement and acceptance, and investment landscapes and financing models.Blockchain for improved water resource management By providing a secure, transparent and distributed ledger to record transactions between parties, blockchain-based technology fundamentally could transform the way water resources are managed and traded.  [+More]