How Glo will have a low environmental impact

Key takeaways

• Glo will be a 100% fiat-backed stablecoin, launching on Ethereum and Polygon

• Ethereum recently completed a transition from a proof-of-work to a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, which reduces 99.95% of its energy expenditures

• Polygon has committed to going carbon negative

• This means buying and transacting Glo will not cost a lot of energy

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Why this matters:

One of the most frequent objections to crypto projects is that they’re bad for the environment. We take this seriously and believe that global poverty and environmentalism are inextricably linked. We shouldn't solve one problem while making the other worse.

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How Ethereum  and Polygon keep our environmental impact low

One network at a time:

• Ethereum changed dramatically when it moved to a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. The Ethereum foundation estimates that this move will lower Ethereum's energy consumption by ~99.95%. (For a general overview, see these articles in Ars Technica and the New York Times.)

• In June 2022, Polygon achieved lifetime carbon neutrality by partnering with KlimaDAO to retire $400,000 of carbon credits. (You can find a primer on retiring carbon credits here.) This is the first step on Polygon’s path towards being carbon negative.

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What if Ethereum or Polygon don’t meet their goals?

If either Ethereum or Polygon dramatically changes course on energy consumption, we’ll scope the harms that Glo is generating and plan to compensate for them. This might include purchasing carbon offsets, donating to a conservation organization, or changing some aspect of Glo’s implementation.

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Questions, thoughts, concerns?

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