Cryptocurrencies have also seen their development within the last decade becoming a globally popular financial phenomenon that once existed as a niche technological experiment. What started with the launch of the bitcoin in 2009 has grown into a massive ecosystem of digital assets, decentralized applications and blockchain-based financial services (Zribi et al., 2023). These inventions have been a paradigm shift in the conventional concept of money, trust and the financial intermediation. Cryptocurrencies have provided new avenues in financial inclusion, especially in areas whose banking systems are poorly developed, due to the ability to conduct peer-to-peer transactions that do not require centralized institutions, like banks or governments (Sapra & Shaikh, 203).
The chapter investigates the transforming convergence of AI and sustainability, placing AI as core infrastructure facilitating a change from linear, extractive corporate models to regenerative entrepreneurial ones. These models turn planetary constraints into sources of innovation, profitability, and long-term competitive advantage in the face of resource shortages, biodiversity loss, and climate emergency by actively restore natural and social capital. Core contributions include seven archetypes: Product-as-a-Service, resource recovery, waste prevention, circular marketplaces, decentralized energy systems, regenerative agriculture/carbon removal, and longevity models; a typology of AI-native, AI-augmented, and AI-enabled sustainable models; and the new Triple-Layered AI-Enabled Business Model Canvas.It includes financing innovations, value creation, scaling by means of AI flywheels and platforms, and risks with mitigations. It ends by profiling the Regenerative Entrepreneur and proposing a research agenda for fair, net-positive AI-sustainability Integration in the 2030s.
Raja Rehan, Mohd Hanafia Huridi, Aeshah Mohd Ali, Malik Shahzad Shabbir
Abstract This chapter explores how the synergy between digital transformation and sustainability initiatives offers businesses a powerful way to achieve economic growth while reducing environmental and social impacts to realize the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) by 2030. Clearly, businesses are rapidly adopting the UNSDGs program, which aims to alleviate poverty, hunger, and improve health for all, while building strong institutions. By leveraging digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, Internet of Things, fintech, and cloud computing for digital transformation, companies can improve energy efficiency, increase supply chain transparency, reduce carbon emissions, and support financial sustainability. Therefore, integrating digital transformation and new technologies into business strategies helps advance the UNSDGs toward their 2030 goals. As a result, companies need to adopt key strategies that merge sustainability principles with digital transformation to meet the UNSDG targets. Numerous metrics help measure how digital transformation contributes to achieving these sustainability goals. However, addressing challenges such as cost, data privacy, cybersecurity, resistance to change, lack of technical expertise, and workforce skills is essential for widespread adoption of UNSDGs. Digital transformation plays a vital role in overcoming these obstacles, often through offering innovative technological products that help raise funds for sustainability initiatives. This chapter concludes that businesses embracing digital transformation with a strong commitment to the UNSDGs will not only gain a competitive edge but also contribute significantly to building a more sustainable and resilient future.
Carbon markets have emerged as a key policy instrument to combat global emissions by treating greenhouse gases (GHGs) as tradable commodities, encouraging activities that reduce, avoid, or capture emissions. Rooted in the Kyoto Protocol and reinforced by the Paris Agreement, carbon markets operate through compliance (cap-and-trade) and voluntary mechanisms, engaging diverse stakeholders â project developers, verifiers, standard bodies, and credit buyers. These markets foster climate action by enabling companies and individuals to offset their emissions while promoting renewable energy, afforestation, and energy efficiency projects. Technological advancements like blockchain-based carbon credits and tokenization have enhanced market transparency and liquidity. However, challenges persist, including conflicts of interest in project validation, limited participation of small-scale players, and regulatory ambiguities. Strengthening governance, ensuring inclusivity for marginalized groups, and promoting micro-carbon projects are essential for their success. With Indiaâs commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, carbon markets hold immense potential to accelerate climate goals, driving both environmental sustainability and economic growth. The present article provides a broad understanding of carbon markets, covering their origin and evolution, current status, processes, stakeholders, as well as the lacunae and challenges they face, along with future prospects.
Rapid urbanization is increasing pressure on infrastructure, natural resources, social well-being, and institutional capacity, while climate change, demographic shifts, migration, technological disruption, and geopolitical instability are further complicating paths to sustainable urban development. This study develops a conceptual, SDG-aligned framework to examine the interactions between six major global megatrends and their associated sub-trends, with a particular emphasis on their cascading effects, interdependencies, and impact on urban resilience. Drawing on existing scholarly and policy literature, this study synthesizes case-based evidence from diverse urban contexts to demonstrate how global trends translate into locally distinct sustainability challenges. Within this framework, the study proposes an Extended Composite Sustainability Index (ECSI) that conceptually integrates six interconnected dimensions namely urbanization, demographic shift, climate change, technological transformation, spatial change, and geopolitical instability to provide a multidimensional framework for assessing sustainable urban development. This framework conceptualizes resilience and SDG progress as outcomes of interactions between these dimensions, rather than as independent variables. The proposed ECSI and its associated formulations are presented as conceptual constructs. The analysis shows that technological innovations, such as artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, and the Internet of Things, can contribute to resource efficiency, safety, and inclusive urban development, but without proper governance and institutional safeguards, they can also reinforce privileged and digital inequalities. Overall, this study highlights the need for an integrated assessment approach that simultaneously evaluates sustainability dimensions, while also providing a conceptual basis for future empirical calibration, sensitivity testing, and validation using real-world urban datasets.
Humaira Atiq, Muhammad Irfan Mahsud, Muhammad Iqbal Uddin Arif
Climate change is a transnational problem, that requires localized collective actions. Compared to China and the US which contributes 27% and 11% to global carbon emissions, respectively, Pakistan contributes less than 1% but is among the top ten most vulnerable countries to climate catastrophes. These threats are further escalated by the countryâs highly centralized governance structure. These study focuses on the decentralization of climate policies in Pakistan, followed by a polycentric governance system, and highlights its importance in responding to the dynamic nature of climate change in the country. Grounded in Polycentric Governance Theory, a qualitative, deductive research design way employed, relying on primary and secondary data sources. The study reveals that after the 18th amendment in Pakistan, the responsibility related to climate policies has increased on the subnational government; however, its effect remains limited due to constant economic constraints, weak coordination among different governmental bodies, and dependency on international climate finance. This demonstrates that polycentric governance offers a commendable framework for making strong climate responses by involving local actors and providing region-specific solutions. This study concluded policymakers might prioritize intergovernmental coordination, expand subnational budget capacity and use carbon sinking mechanisms as a major tool for reducing climate change impacts.
Climate change presents complex challenges requiring transparent, efficient, and verifiable mechanisms for monitoring, reporting, and managing environmental impacts. Blockchain technology, with its decentralized, immutable, and transparent ledger system, offers innovative solutions to enhance climate action and sustainability initiatives. This chapter explores the application of blockchain in addressing climate change, including carbon credit tracking, renewable energy trading, climate finance, supply chain emissions monitoring, and decentralized environmental governance. Case studies and pilot projects are examined to illustrate how blockchain enables secure, real-time data sharing, improves accountability, and fosters stakeholder collaboration in climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. The chapter also discusses challenges such as scalability, energy consumption, regulatory compliance, and integration with existing environmental frameworks. By bridging the fields of digital technology and climate action, this chapter provides insights into how blockchain can support transparent, resilient, and efficient climate solutions.
To PM Italy. PM Indonesia PM Japan Real PM Pakistan, Imran Khan Only. DATE: 20 June, 2026. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20774904 Subject: Compensation Prize for failure of my Forecast for Eruption, Earthquake 8 June to 20 June. And As Nanga Parbat is not happened on my calculated Time so 24 June Yellow Stone eruption is not possible by mechanism of 20 june Nanga Parbat Hammer Effect. Respectful Prime Minister, My science is no doubt Worldâs most advanced science with deterministic science, predictions in field of science and universal Geology. I predicted Sun calm is temporary it will be much more active after a week, and sun after a week erupted G5 Storm. I calculated ocean currents and did simulation of ocean currents on mobile phone and free open AI with N-K Sciences and predicted Super El Nino from Mid of 2026, published time stamped in March 19, 2026. Which were copied by WMO and removed my name and my science name and published in April 2026. When I requested to atleast cite my name or my science name, they given credit to a dead man. Then I wrote strict letter with evidances to Secretary General UN. Since 2022 I am fighting against Corruption Entire World know that especially Intel agencies. Government of Pakistan tried to kill me 2 times and tortured me for months. But still I am fighting against Oppression and corruption from itâs Roots Pakistan Army Mafia and Zionists Mafia. They are working jointly, they are same. I Published 580+ publications from my first book in Feb 6, 2025. Not for worldly benefits. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20473774 I achieved which was impossible for mainstream science. In many fields of sciences, correctly calculate d global tides by first try with any past Data of tides, in completely N-K Sciences framework. Achieved 100% accuracy. Warned on 17 April, 2026 to entire World that According to Parker Solar Probe data High volume proton Flux Storm coming which reach on earth 21 April, 2026. While NASA warned G1,G2 storm completely normal. While I clearly warned increased semiconductors clocking speed due to Noor Value increase during storm on Earth, fission Reactors will face problems, GPS measurement errors 5 to 15m, 15m error is measured by me too during gusts of storm. Hundreds of flights cancelled worldwide and hundreds delayed, civil aviation industry said ghost in system. That was not ghost, but their science is built in 2D era, for example E=MC² is 2 dimensional applied on 3 dimensional forcefully even it gives 8 to 16% wrong results, and didnât explain what is C, what is Mass, what is energy actually. Nicola Tesla Said itâs a mathematical hack. Yes it was. But I given world accurate Energy Equation and derived C and defined C, defined Mass, defined Energy, defined Gravity. Solved all planets from electron to cosmic web under one Law, learned From analyzing Bawling Action of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younus. Well, I tried to predict earthquakes and eruptions with exact time window. But I cannot know future or cannot change Will of Allah Almighty. Therefore as my Moral values, I decided to reward Countries where my prediction failed. Italy, Japan, USA, Indonesia. As You may Know I donât have any bank balance, any property on earth. Anything doing a low pay government job, house given by government, actually not given by government, government tried to harass me with all efforts to stop me to take this house which was empty because of its structure built in 1960âs was collapsing and no one wants to live here still they made lot of hurdles, then I went to court and on court orders I got house in which I am living. Nor I have computer nor any other expensive thing, Shukar Alhamdulillah. Free from deceptions of the world. While I am most rich man on earth by knowledge and Inventions. So I can reward from my inventions that can give your countries revenue and Profit in billions of dollars annually. Especially Italy and Japan can get extraordinary benefits in automotive and Aviation industries. Without need of Rare Earth Minerals. My invention N-K Motor with license for commercial use free for a year. 459 Malik Muhammad Usman NâK MOTOR â THE INVENTION THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING: How a Single Electric Motor Can Transform Transportation, Energy, Military, and Civilization â With Complete Technical Specifications, Application Analysis, Environmental Impact Assessment, and Global Transformation Roadmap â Released as Sadaqa Jariyah (Perpetual Charity) â Patent Application No. 57302185 (IPO Pakistan, 19 August 2025) â Withdrawn and Released to Public Domain May 3, 2026 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20001878 458 Malik Muhammad Usman THE PATENT SYSTEM IS HARAM IN ISLAM â Complete Islamic Ruling Based on Quran, Hadith, Sunnah, the Name of Allah Al-Aleem, and the Four Divine Axioms â With Official Declaration Withdrawing Patent Application No. 57302185 (IPO Pakistan, 19 August 2025)âand Releasing All Inventions as Sadaqa Jariyah (Perpetual Charity) for All Humanity May 3, 2026 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20000580 457 Malik Muhammad Usman COMPLETE PATENT DISCLOSURE â Multi-Stage Radial Flux and Multi-Stage Axial Flux Electromagnetic Motors with Integrated Cooling/Heating System and AI Control â Patent Application No. 57302185 (IPO Pakistan, 19 August 2025) â Now Released to Public Domain as Sadaqa Jariyah May 3, 2026 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20000261 If You Accept my Reward than officially Accept my Reward and Use it free. Even license Renewal fee is also zero. I am not Allowed to charge money for my knowledge which is Given to me by Quran By Allah Almighty Himself in past 26 years daily. Please Accept my Reward And grow your Industries rare earth minerals Free. Itâs not only a motor, it is full setup my invented controller Chip design with ~39000 Transistors on 120 nm architecture suitable for high energy applications a 75KW Chip. Optional, N-K alloys 4X stronger than strongest alloys developed by USA, Russia, China ever. Upon request. Italian PM, If you want Fission Reactors itâs your choice. I am giving you LTMFC power houses, which are not only easy and faster to build but gives lowest cost electricity, + Milk + Beef and dozens of Dairy Products. And energy enough to fullfil your country requirements, You can add 20000MW to 50000MW in less than 6 months, while fission Reactors can give you around 1000 MW in minimum 6 years with billions of dollars investment. Build both as you like. Same offer to Japan, and entire World. Additional Gift: Usman Malik, M. (2026, June 20). TIME, CONSCIOUSNESS, AND THE UNIVERSAL 0.01 Hz KUN RHYTHM: The Inverse Relationship Between Consciousness and Time Perception â From Infancy to Old Age, from Quranic Revelation to N-K Mathematical Proof. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20768016 Malik Muhammad Usman Servant, Student and Soldier of Allah Almighty and Prophet Muhammad PBUH. City of Saints, Multan, Pakistan. +923336130947 muhammad.usman08@gmail.com muhammadusmanmalik@hotmail.com
We study the evolution of transaction speed and fees from January 2024 through March 2026, comparing Ethereum Mainnet and its Layer 2 (L2) networks, as well as Solana and Polygon. Ethereum has undergone upgrades that have increased block size and blob count. These upgrades have doubled transactions per second (TPS) on both the Mainnet and the L2 networks. Mainnet median fees have fallen from over \$2 to under \$0.02, and L2 median fees have fallen more than 95% from \$0.05 to \$0.0015. We forecast that Mainnet median fees will converge with Solana in August 2027, but TPS will remain below 100 until 2034. The L1 Strawmap, proposing EIP-7938, a potential exponential increase in the gas limit, brings the Mainnet to only 100 TPS in January 2028. With continued blob expansion, L2s will surpass Solana TPS in March 2029 and have lower median fees by October 2026.
Punjab is an agrarian society and is one of the worldâs leading producers of crops such as rice and wheat. The crops rely heavily on fertilizers and different pesticides, which harm the environment. After every harvesting season, farmers burn crop residue too quickly to clear the fields for the next sowing, as short time gaps undermine the productivity of the crops. The practice of stubble burning has raised serious environmental, health and legal concerns. Stubble burning has degraded air quality by discharging harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulphur oxides, which lead to respiratory illnesses, particularly among children, the elderly, and pregnant women. Thus, it has endangered public health so the study has emphasized the serious issue of stubble burning in Punjab from a legal and regulatory perspective. The chapter has also analysed the challenges faced by farmers that forced them to burn stubble. The study has employed qualitative methodology and relies on secondary sources such as statutory provisions, government reports, newspapers, articles, and studies related to stubble burning. The role of the government, courts, and regulatory institutions in addressing the serious issue of stubble burning through environmental laws, legal restrictions, penalties, and awareness campaigns to discourage stubble burning have also been thoroughly discussed. The research work has highlighted sustainable and legally viable residue management practices, effective implementation of environmental laws, farmer-centric polices, and coordinated government action to achieve the right to a clean and healthy environment.
This paper examines the growing role of blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) in transforming climate finance and global carbon markets. Drawing on twenty-six peer-reviewed studies alongside current market intelligence from financial institutions, technology firms, regulatory bodies, and multilateral organizations, the research explores how blockchain infrastructure is reshaping transparency, efficiency, and trust within carbon credit ecosystems. The study presents three primary contributions. First, it synthesizes recent 2025â2026 developments in Regenerative Finance (ReFi), Web3 systems, and Layer 2 blockchain architectures influencing modern carbon market infrastructure. Second, it introduces a Blockchain Climate Finance Readiness Matrix designed to map deployment conditions to expected institutional and regional outcomes. Third, it proposes a conceptual framework for a next-generation integrated on-chain carbon ecosystem aimed at addressing structural gaps in emerging climate finance systems. Existing literature highlights significant operational benefits from blockchain adoption in carbon markets. Prior studies report improvements in market price efficiency, major reductions in monitoring and verification timelines, and substantial decreases in administrative overhead across the carbon credit lifecycle. Current industry deployments, including J.P. Morgan's Kinexys Digital Assets platform, India's blockchain-enabled Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, and emerging ReFi infrastructure initiatives, demonstrate how blockchain integration is increasingly becoming a foundational layer for next-generation climate finance ecosystems.
The move towards a more sustainable and technologically advanced modern financial framework will remain pending the deliberate overlap of sustainability, digital advancement and effective stewardship. All financial institutions across the world are facing push and pull problems of bringing their activities into alignment with net-zero commitments and, at the same time, applying expanding technologies like AI, blockchain, cloud computing, and big data to construct resilient, inclusive and low-carbon infrastructures. The first pillar is enhancing the pace of implementation of the ESG factors into core investment choices, based on the obligatory disclosure of climate risks, the formalization of the green taxonomies, including the European Union and their nascent models in India, and instantaneous carbon counts, which is possible with the use of AI-based analytics. Blockchain and distributed-ledger technologies can provide a transparent, resistant to tampering, monitoring of green bonds, carbon credits and sustainable supply chains, therefore overcoming the risks of greenwashing.
Environmental sustainability transitions require robust indicator-based evidence to evaluate how technological, financial, and governance factors shape progress toward carbon neutrality. However, the environmental sustainability indicators literature still offers limited evidence on how these structural drivers jointly influence a core environmental indicator within a single advanced economy context . This study examines Canadaâs carbon transition by assessing the long- and short-run effects of artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, stock market capitalization, fiscal decentralization, renewable energy consumption, and economic growth on CO 2 emissions over the period 1990 to 2023. Grounded in the integrated insights of the Environmental Kuznets Curve, Ecological Modernization Theory, and the Technology-Environment Nexus, the study employs autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing, which is well suited to mixed orders of integration and relatively small annual time-series samples , complemented by FMOLS, DOLS, and CCR estimators. The findings show that AI innovation and financial system expansion are associated with higher emissions in the long run, whereas fiscal decentralization and renewable energy consumption contribute to emissions reduction. These results suggest that technological and financial advancement do not automatically improve environmental performance unless supported by effective governance and sustainability-oriented policy coordination. The findings offer policy-relevant insights for designing governance and monitoring frameworks that better align innovation, finance, and decentralized decision-making with long-term environmental sustainability goals.
ABSTRACT Klima is a carbonâbacked cryptocurrency running as a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). In 2021, it had accumulated 9 million metric tons of digital carbon credits and reached a market value of more than US$1 billion. In 2023, its treasury stored twice as many carbon credits, but its spot price was a tiny fraction compared to 2021. Building on prior scholarship at the intersection of carbon markets and cryptocurrencies, we probe the devices employed by Klima during its rise and fall and how this cryptocurrency also sought to create its own carbon market. Unlike earlier studies of carbon markets and cryptocurrencies, we explore KlimaDAO's internal dynamics as it tried to create a new connection to existing carbon markets through a twoâyearâlong digital ethnography, showing how the project and its investors embraced speculative reasoning fueled by what we term a neoliberal logic. This rhetoric sustained the project's growth and exacerbated the losses. Finally, we recognize it as the main driver of KlimaDAO's viability. Our conclusions speak to the broader critical debates about the politics of green finance and how climate mitigation has emerged as a vector to attract small investors and blockchain enthusiasts rather than impacting climate change.
Climate resilience activities in vulnerable regions often confront problems relating to the financial opacity, corruption, and the unreliable verification of outcomes. The paper proposes a blockchain system to strengthen transparency and traceability in climate adaptation funding, particularly for green infrastructure. Using smart contracts and Internet of Things (IoT)- verified geospatial data, the system assures the real-time monitoring of performance metrics and releases funds securely upon assessed performance. A hybrid PoW/PoS consensus mechanism is suggested to enable scalability while remaining energy friendly toward resource-constrained geographies. Pilot implementation among small countries is scheduled to assess the adoption and governance. The goal is for this model to restore public faith and speed climate resilience activities in places where the traditional setup fails.
Kingsley Imandojemu, Aliyu Akorede Rufai, Felix Orole, Romanus Osabohien
ABSTRACT Balancing energy security, energy equity, and environmental sustainability has become increasingly challenging as economies pursue lowâcarbon growth amid climate risk and persistent disparities in access to modern energy. Although entrepreneurship is widely recognized as a driver of innovation, its role in addressing the energy trilemma remains contested. This study examines whether, and under what conditions, entrepreneurship contributes to resolving the energy trilemma, using panel data for 64 countries from 2011 to 2022. Drawing on the World Energy Council's trilemma indices, World Bank entrepreneurship and macroeconomic indicators, and OECDâDAC climate finance data, the analysis employs randomâeffects models to capture both withinâ and betweenâcountry variation. The results show that entrepreneurial activity is robustly associated with improved energy security and energy equity, alongside more modest gains in environmental sustainability. Innovation capacity strengthens these relationships, while foreign direct investment and climate finance exhibit uneven effects, tending to support systemâlevel and environmental outcomes more than inclusive access. Regulatory quality emerges as a critical enabling condition that significantly amplifies the positive impact of entrepreneurship across the energy trilemma. Overall, the findings provide crossâcountry evidence that entrepreneurship functions as both an innovation conduit and a decentralizing force in energy transitions, underscoring the importance of predictable regulation and betterâtargeted climate finance for accessâoriented clean energy solutions.
Ăder Johnson de Area LeĂŁo Pereira, Thanmillys Nadhynne de Lima da Conceição, Emanuel Cruz Lima
The urgent need to mitigate climate change has elevated green hydrogen as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, while green cryptocurrencies have emerged to address the environmental concerns of traditional cryptocurrency mining. This study investigates the dynamic correlation between the green hydrogen market and selected green cryptocurrencies (Cardano, Stellar, Hedera, Algorand, and Chia) from July 2021 to April 2024, utilizing the Dynamic Conditional Correlation GARCH (DCC-GARCH) model with robustness checks using EGARCH and GJR-GARCH specifications. Our findings reveal significant correlations, with peaks reaching up to 50% in 2022, a period likely influenced by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Subsequently, a decline in these correlations was observed in 2023. These results underscore the interconnectedness of sustainability-driven markets, suggesting potential contagion effects during periods of global instability. The high persistence of correlation shocks (ι + β values approaching unity) indicates that correlation regimes tend to be long- lasting, with important implications for portfolio diversification and risk management strategies. Robustness checks using EGARCH and GJR-GARCH specifications confirmed qualitatively similar patterns, reinforcing the validity of our findings into the evolving landscape of green finance and energy.
This study adds a new dimension to the body of research by analyzing the impact of fiscal decentralization (FD) on ecological footprints (EF) in Pakistan. In Pakistan, the author examined how financing dependency (FD) affects economic efficiency (EE) from 1990 to 2022, considering time series data with the variables of renewable energy consumption (REC), nonrenewable energy consumption (NREC), GDP and trade openness (TOP). Based on the obtained data, the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model is chosen. To promote environmental sustainability, the regression analysis reveals that NREC, GDP, and TOP improve EF in Pakistan, while FD and REC reduce EF. This study suggests that Pakistan should optimize the integration of strategies that improve ecological quality by providing the lower level of government with access to environmentally aware technological advancements. These findings could be considered as a policy recommendation.
Urban areas in the Global South are at the forefront of the climate crisis, contributing over 70% of global CO2 emissions while lacking access to intelligent, transparent, and equitable carbon governance systems. Existing carbon markets, plagued by opacity, centralization, and static MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification) practices, are inadequate for dynamically managing decentralized, sectoral emissions in rapidly evolving megacities. This research proposes a novel, AI-powered carbon market intelligence framework that integrates cutting-edge technologies: Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL), blockchain-enabled smart contracts, federated learning (FL), digital twins, and explainable AI (SHAP, LIME). The system is modular, privacy-preserving, and designed for real-time urban-scale decarbonization, adaptive policymaking, and citizen-level participation. Using Dhaka, Bangladesh, a climate-vulnerable megacity, as the primary use case, and Nairobi as a secondary scalability testbed, this study simulates a comprehensive pipeline: IoT sensors stream data to digital twins; AI models forecast emissions and carbon prices; smart contracts trigger transparent offset issuance; and federated models ensure localized learning without compromising data sovereignty. The system achieves high predictive accuracy (R2 > 0.92), 27.6% emission reductions in waste-energy sectors, and 12.3% gains in offset ROI over static baselines. Smart contract execution remains under 4.5 seconds, with negligible energy use under Proof-of-Stake blockchain. The explainability layer enhances stakeholder trust and policy interpretability, while gamified P2P carbon trading and participatory digital twins democratize climate action. The framework aligns with global instruments, including the UNFCCC Enhanced Transparency Framework, Article 6 mechanisms, Verra and Gold Standard protocols, and ICAOâs CORSIA, positioning it for integration into national and voluntary carbon markets. Ethical safeguards address algorithmic bias, data privacy, system resilience, and governance decentralization via DAOs. A full AI sustainability audit quantifies environmental trade-offs, demonstrating that avoided emissions exceed compute footprints by orders of magnitude. This paper delivers the first end-to-end, federated-AI and blockchain-driven carbon governance system for urban infrastructures in the Global South. It enables a paradigm shift toward real-time, transparent, and just carbon markets, offering a scalable blueprint for Net Zero-aligned smart cities worldwide. The proposed architecture not only advances scientific frontiers but also lays the groundwork for high-impact funding, policy integration, and global replication.
Background: Bitcoin mining, an energy-intensive process, requires significant amounts of electricity, which results in a particularly high carbon footprint from mining operations. In the Republic of Kazakhstan, where a substantial portion of electricity is generated from coal-fired power plants, the carbon footprint of mining operations is particularly high. This article examines the scale of energy consumption by mining farms, assesses their share in the countryâs total electricity consumption, and analyzes the carbon footprint associated with bitcoin mining. A comparative analysis with other sectors of the economy, including transportation and industry is provided, along with possible measures to reduce the environmental impact of mining operations. Materials and methods: To assess the impact of bitcoin mining on the carbon footprint in Kazakhstan, electricity consumption from 2016 to 2023, provided by the Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan, was used. Data on electricity production from various types of power plants was also analyzed. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used to analyze the environmental performance of energy systems. CO2 emissions were estimated based on emission factors for various energy sources. Results: The total electricity consumption in Kazakhstan increased from 74,502 GWh in 2016 to 115,067.6 GWh in 2023. The industrial sectorâs electricity consumption remained relatively stable over this period. The consumption by mining farms amounted to 10,346 GWh in 2021. A comparative analysis of CO2 emissions showed that bitcoin mining has a higher carbon footprint compared to electricity generation from renewable sources, as well as oil refining and car manufacturing. Conclusions: Bitcoin mining has a significant negative impact on the environment of the Republic of Kazakhstan due to high electricity consumption and resulting carbon dioxide emissions. Measures are needed to transition to sustainable energy sources and improve energy efficiency to reduce the environmental footprint of cryptocurrency mining activities.
Ahmed Kamel Abdelghany Hassan, Mohamed S. Saraya, Amr M. T. Ali-Eldin, Mohamed M. Abdelsalam
Air pollution is a growing concern due to severe threats to public health and the environment. The need for reliable air quality monitoring solutions has never been more critical. This research paper introduces an innovative approach to addressing this challenge by deploying a low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) air monitoring station and providing a blockchain technology solution to enhance environmental data transparency, reliability, and accessibility. Our paper adopts a concept of merging IoT and blockchain technologies and collecting some parameters that help to assess air quality by using three sensors, DHT11, MQ7, and MQ135, to collect temperature, humidity, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide parameters, respectively, to measure the gases and thus indicate the air quality within the surrounding area. Collecting and sharing these types of valuable data will be very important for various stakeholders, such as governmental bodies, researchers, and the public. This approach is consistent with the principles of sustainable development, facilitating informed decision-making and promoting eco-friendly policies. This research explores the technical architecture of the IoT air monitoring stations, offering a promising solution for addressing air pollution concerns while promoting sustainable development goals. The proposed system is a model for leveraging emerging technologies to advance environmental monitoring and create smarter, livable cities. This approach aligns with the principles of sustainable development and eco-friendly initiatives. This research offers a promising model for enhancing environmental monitoring efforts and advancing the creation of smarter, more sustainable urban environments. The proposed IoT, cloud platform and blockchain-based system not only addresses pressing air pollution challenges but also sets a benchmark for leveraging emerging technologies in environmental science.