Micropayments have the potential to revolutionise the way we engage with green initiatives, making it more appealing for citizens to contribute to a cleaner, greener planet. One such approach gaining traction is the use of micropayments, which offer monetary rewards for environmentally conscious actions.

Micropayments, as the name suggests, are small financial transactions, typically involving sums of less than a dollar. These tiny payments may seem inconsequential on their own, but when harnessed collectively, they can drive significant change.

Businesses are now recognising the potential of micropayments, but also governments are paying attention, as micropayments open up new opportunities and revenue models that previously were unrealisable.

Carbon offset programmes and recycling incentives

One of the primary areas where micropayments are making a difference is in carbon offset programmes. Individuals can voluntarily participate in activities that reduce their carbon footprint, such as using public transportation, biking to work, or reducing energy consumption. In return, they receive micropayments as a reward for choosing carbon-friendly options.

This approach not only encourages individuals to adopt more sustainable lifestyles but also helps governments meet their carbon reduction targets. Micropayments make it easier for citizens to take meaningful steps toward combating climate change.

Recycling is another area where micropayments are being employed to drive change. Many countries are struggling to improve recycling rates, and micropayments offer a promising solution. Individuals receive small rewards for recycling their waste properly, thereby promoting a culture of recycling.

While micropayments may seem insignificant in wealthy countries, they can have a big impact in poorer countries, where waste management is often poorly implemented and where individual citizens have little incentive to change their behaviour.

Micropayments can create such incentives to make citizens more likely to engage in eco-friendly behaviour consistently. Moreover, these rewards can be easily tracked and measured, allowing governments to assess the impact of their initiatives accurately.

Smart technology for micropayments

The success of micropayment-driven environmental initiatives relies heavily on advanced technology. Governments are investing in smart systems and applications that can track and verify eco-friendly actions.

For example, smart bins equipped with sensors can identify and reward individuals for recycling correctly. Similarly, public transportation systems are integrating payment technologies that offer instant rewards for choosing greener commuting options.

One example of this is the BAIOT project that was recently implemented in the Polish town of Minsk Mazowiecki. The project allows students at six primary schools to trade plastic caps (for recycling purposes) in return for NFT tokens, which are stored in web3 wallets.

The caps are placed into a container which is tracked by an IoT device and an attached mobile application which shows how many tokens each school has. After three weeks, the tokens are exchanged for trees – directly benefiting the environment. Notably, this entire system is built on the BSV blockchain, which acts as a database and as the ‘connective tissue’ for all of these technologies.

The BSV blockchain is the only globally scaling blockchain for micropayments

Using blockchains in the public domain has the advantage of eliminating security risks, transparency, and an immutable ledger that is accessible to authorised parties. Micropayments, however, are a feature that only very few blockchains can provide via layer one, i.e. directly via the blockchain.

Currently, the cost of a transaction is about $0.000003, making on-chain transaction costs lower than any other blockchain. Over the main net, the maximum throughput is about 10,000 transactions per second.

As the BSV blockchain will scale even more efficiently in the future, it’s the only blockchain that is suitable for businesses and governments. This is also helped by the fact that the BSV blockchain is designed to function within existing regulations.