ABSTRACT

Proponents of ‘Blockchain for Good’ – blockchain efforts seeking to enable benefits to humans and the environment – have suggested that the technology can support sustainability. However, while previous research has addressed aspects of the sustainability affordances of Blockchain for Good projects, the constraints that these projects impose have not faced equal consideration. Furthermore, the theoretical concepts of sustainability ‘problems’ and ‘solutions’ implicit in these projects have not been made clear. In this exploratory study, we evaluate the sustainability of 28 Blockchain for Good projects that use cryptocurrencies or tradable tokens with regard to the UN sustainability goals. These projects span a range of goals, such as supply chain tracking, transparent charity, and fairer voting. Despite their admirable goals, we find that current Blockchain for Good projects are unlikely to contribute to a sustainable future due to technical limitations and a conceptual framing that favors the status quo rather than transformative change.

摘要

“向善的区块链”（旨在为人类和环境带来利益的区块链努力）的支持者表示，该技术可以支持可持续性。然而，尽管以往的研究已经解决了可持续发展方面的启示Blockchain的好项目，约束这些项目强加的问题没有得到同等的考虑。此外，这些项目中隐含的可持续性“问题”和“解决方案”的理论概念尚未明确。在这项探索性研究中，我们根据联合国可持续发展目标评估了 28 个使用加密货币或可交易代币的区块链公益项目的可持续性。这些项目涵盖了一系列目标，例如供应链跟踪、透明慈善和更公平的投票。尽管他们的目标令人钦佩，但我们发现，由于技术限制和有利于现状而不是变革性变化的概念框架，当前的区块链公益项目不太可能为可持续的未来做出贡献。