The story of Kyoto – becoming the world's most sustainable blockchain

Kyoto is a carbon-negative blockchain built to scale the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) and Regenerative Finance (ReFi) by harnessing the power of Web3.

According to McKinsey, the VCM is set to reach upwards of $50bn by 2030. Meanwhile, blockchain technology is increasingly being hailed as a key driving force behind eradicating some of the inherent issues this market has struggled with.

Kyoto’s blockchain was designed to do exactly that – solve the scaling challenges present in the current VCM and redefine antiquated financial systems while contributing to the fight against climate change.

So how did we get here?

Kyoto takes its name from the first United Nations climate change-focused legislation, The Kyoto Protocol 1997. This legislation introduced the idea of buying and selling global emissions. However, over the years, trading has been subject to billions of dollars of fraud and miscounting vast sums of carbon offset. At the same time, the issue of climate change has continued to accelerate, causing horrific damage to our planet.

As passionate advocates for the creation of an inclusive and sustainable green economy, crypto entrepreneurs and Kyoto founders Ashton Hunt,  Frank Morey, and Jon Jepson recognised a gap in the market for the introduction of a solution that could scale the VCM and ReFi while making a positive impact on the environment.

Enter Kyoto.

A sustainable blockchain powered by its native $KYOTO token and designed to bring high-standard synthetic carbon credits, backed by real assets, on-chain. Carbon-negative by design, it’s an ecosystem created to be accessible to all – crypto enthusiasts, thought leaders, businesses, governments, blockchains, ESG funds, and charities. Any community with a desire to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions through the means of positive impact investing.

A planet-positive, impact-generating carbon credit marketplace

At its core, Kyoto is a blockchain-driven technology stack that aims to improve and scale the carbon credit industry while creating new possibilities for the mission-driven ReFi movement. ReFi focuses on the power of blockchain and Web3 to address climate change, support conservation, safeguard biodiversity, and create a more sustainable, equitable financial system. We see it as blockchain’s most meaningful opportunity.

The Kyoto blockchain is built to consolidate this emerging yet still highly fragmented market. Other blockchains are adopting ReFi, but Kyoto is the first to scale the movement from the ground up, maximising positive impact by donating 25% of all transaction fees to carbon offset initiatives.  

At Kyoto, we believe the only truly reliable way for carbon offsetting is via a blockchain ledger with verifiable offsets. Our mission is to make the carbon offset industry more transparent, efficient, accessible, and impactful. We aim to do this while making a difference, driving change, and providing benefits to the holders and users of our blockchain.

How will we do it? Through…

1.     Smart Contracts: Utilising self-executing contracts on the Kyoto blockchain, we will automate and streamline the process of carbon credit creation, verification, and trading. This eliminates intermediaries, reduces transaction costs, and ensures transparency.

2.     Transparency and Trust: Blockchain technology guarantees traceable, immutable, and tamper-proof transactions. This removes double counting and greenwashing issues, further fostering trust among participants while ensuring data integrity.

3.     The Tokenisation of Carbon Credits: Kyoto is the first company to tokenise its carbon credit directly to its blockchain, using tools built on the Kyoto network to make it possible, unlike other VCM market participants that are retroactively looking to implement carbon credits to other independent blockchains.

4.     Verification and Monitoring: Kyoto is building digital solutions hosted on the Kyoto Blockchain that improve and scale the verification and monitoring of carbon projects. Partnering with reputable third-party organisations will allow us to provide independent verification and monitoring of carbon offset projects and cutting-edge Digital Measurement, Reporting and Verification (dMRV), to ensure optimal credibility and quality of the carbon credits traded through our network.

5.     Scalability and Interoperability: Our platform is built to scale and integrate with other blockchain networks and traditional financial systems. This enables seamless transactions while enhancing the global adoption of VCM on a much larger scale. It also allows companies and businesses of all sizes to meet legislation requirements more easily. 

6.     Land Acquisition and Carbon Sequestration: We are committed to actively acquiring land and managing carbon sequestration projects, such as conservation, reforestation, afforestation, and protection. 

Setting a new digital standard for carbon credits

Kyoto's tokenisation of carbon credits is facilitated via a new digital standard that harnesses the power of the latest d-MRV technology and a robust carbon registry, all hosted on our blockchain. Our business model ensures that every step of carbon trading activity is monitored - from carbon asset creation to trading or retiring, eliminating today's problems with VCM and restoring trust and transparency to these markets. 

During this process, the utmost transparency is given to our user base, who act as validators for the data Kyoto provides. To improve market participation and validation of our carbon standard, two key aspects of Kyoto's carbon cycle are tokenised for the general public: Kyoto-MRV and Kyoto-REGISTRY. 

Liquidity backed carbon 

Liquidity-backed carbon offset, meeting all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ensures that carbon has a standardised value and a bottom-line quality. Most VCM participants facilitate one-way offsets, meaning the transaction holds no store of value other than the agreeable price for the offset. This isn’t the case in the compliance carbon market, where carbon credits such as in the European Union Emissions Trading System (EUETS) have seen consistent price increases and, in recent years, surpassed the returns of the cryptocurrency market. Kyoto pairs its on-chain carbon with liquidity to create the world’s first VCM offset with a store of value. 

Become a part of the Kyoto movement.

At Kyoto, we are already collaborating with environmental organisations, governments, carbon project developers, and other ReFi-focused crypto projects to build a strong network and encourage the adoption of Kyoto Blockchain. We are partnering with corporations looking to integrate Kyoto into their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives, thus making it easier for them to offset their carbon emissions and invest in land-based carbon sequestration projects.

Whether you are new to Web3, a startup leader, or an already established protocol, the Kyoto Blockchain can offer a carbon-credit-focused solution for you.

We invite you to join our growing community, where we join forces to forge a generational impact through the transformative potential of blockchain technology.

Learn more:

Get in touch with us at enquiries@kyotoprotocol.io

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