A proposal to solve Climate Change

Incentive is the foundation of the change I dream to prevent the change that we all are victims of. In broad terms, an incentive is what gives life a purpose and, therefore, meaning.

For years, the governing bodies have operated on the principle of incentive and disincentive. A person acting in the best interest of society is given incentives to do so. From awards like Bharat Ratna in India to titles like knighthood in the UK, incentives take different forms. A person acting against the best interest of society is given disincentives like prison and fines.

A person acting in his or her best interest may not be contributing to the betterment of society. Such is the case with pollution. Each one of us today has played a role in the degradation of the environment. Despite the knowledge of the harmful effects of our actions on the environment, we are not reluctant to continue doing the same actions.

But, why will we stop such actions when we know we won't live to face scarcity of resources or serious climate change? The only reason we will stop is if we get disincentives from the governing bodies. The provision of disincentives will ensure that the best interest of an individual will change and coincide with society's best interest.

A political system based on an integrated system of disincentives and incentives has the potential to make such a change of interest. This system will have to be crafted such that it can track the smallest of details for each person and calculate the incentives and disincentives available for him or her.

China has already brought such a system to practice and calls it the ‘social credit system'. By making use of Big Data and complex computer algorithms, this system gives a score to an individual based on his or her actions. The more that person contributes to society, the more his score and vice-versa.

This system gives the governing body excessive power over civil society. This power may not conform to most democratic structures across the world. However, climate change is a global problem. The best way to use a social credit system to solve climate change without harming the democratic structures is to only use it for checking pollution and consumption of potential pollutants.

My idea of a social credit system as a solution for climate change is to give incentives and disincentives based on a score. The score would increase if one has a green impact on the environment. This can be done by growing trees, using renewable sources of energy and consuming recyclable products. The score would decrease if one harms the environment like using non-renewable sources of energy, producing non-biodegradable waste, producing greenhouse gases, cutting trees and destroying the habitat of animals etc.

Look at the following example of how the system can work. Say the maximum score for a person can be 1000. Only those with 900+ score can stand up for elections. This will allow the nation to have individuals lead by example. Only those with a score of 850+ can get tax rebates for investments. Such a step will ensure that the investors would consist of individuals who keep sustainability as a priority when pursuing corporate success. Those with a score of below 750 can get targeted by both higher direct and indirect taxes and so on.

In addition to the citizens of a nation, the score can be given to the registered firms. To ensure that firms maintain a high score, the system will reduce the score of the consumers buying from firms with a low score. It will now be in the interest of the firms to take up sustainability practices.

This system may appear to be a dystopian system. Individuals may think of it as an abridgement of their rights. However, it is high time for everyone to understand that with the climate change at its current pace the world's future is being threatened. Sustainable development is what we really should be targeting. The idea of a social credit system is what I propose to achieve this target. Although it seems to be a major change from the existing political structures, it may be our last hope to solve climate change.