Flipping over Pharaoh's Pyramid

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"But many who are first will be last, and the last, first" [Matthew 19:30]

Shortening the Long Tail ?

Means Testing for Carbon Credit Originators -- Vol. II

"Let them eat carbon!"


As implementation of the Carbon Micro Credit system approaches mega scale, the worldwide supply of carbon credits may grow faster than demand. What happens then ? Will a supply glut reduce price below marginal production cost, leading to no material gains for micro-originators? Will the Poor at the "Bottom of the Pyramid" be told there is no market for their laboriously-produced Carbon Micro Credits (CMCs) ?

No, rather, Means Testing should be applied to all producers or originators of carbon credits worldwide, and their produced credits graded or assigned a relative valuation according to social merit and redeeming value to Mankind. And the largest relative economic gains should flow to the most needy.

In short, the last should be first, and the first, last. The bottom shall become the top, and the top, the bottom. Or, to quote Karl Marx: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need". Let the better educated in Developed Countries, or those in more developed "Developing Countries" fend for themselves. Rich pharaoh's pyramid shall be flipped over.

Hence, the current dichotomy under the Kyoto Protocol of "Developed" country versus "Developing" country-of-origin should be expanded to multiple levels of development and relative valuation, such as, from the most-valuable carbon credits to least:

-- (i) DevelopING Credits - Platinum -- relative valuation = 1.0

-- (ii) DevelopING Credits - Gold -- relative valuation = 0.9

-- (iii) DevelopING Credits - Silver -- relative valuation = 0.8

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-- (iv) DevelopED Credits - Nickel -- relative valuation = 0.4

-- (v) DevelopED Credits - Copper-- relative valuation = 0.3

-- (vi) DevelopED Credits - Zinc-- relative valuation = 0.2

Such a hierarchy of rankings could be applied to countries as a whole, or to specific projects from within any country. The Relative Valuations would deflate or discount excessive supply from Developed Countries or large corporations in any country whose projects perhaps border on failing a test of Additionality anyway.

The Carbon Micro Credit Registry (CMC Registry) described in detail in an earlier post below will allow for end-to-end tracing of Carbon Micro Credits and ensure that like credits are bundled together, or, analogously -- that Champagne really is made from grapes from Champagne -- and not from Normandy or Brittany. Or, that AAA-rated mortgages are not bundled with sub-prime loans.

As Greenland becomes a big Bermuda, as the Northwest Passage becomes the Northwest Ocean, as Antarctica's ice shelves break off and float to The Falklands -- suddenly raising sea levels 1 - 3 inches in few years -- the entire world will get religion and start producing 100s of millions of tons of carbon credits via 1,000s of different programs.

A Carbon Cambrian Explosion will result courtesy of Wall Street and carbon gold diggers worldwide. Supply will exceed demand, including both voluntary and legislated demand. Who then should be first in line to sell their carbon credits, and at what price? Will the Poor eat carbon, like the mud pies in Haiti?

"But many who are first will be last, and the last, first" [Matthew 19:30]

Globally & warmly yours,

David Palella
Caped Carbon Crusader
CARBON MANNA UNLIMITED

San Diego, CA
tel: 858-793-0741
email: dpalella@san.rr.com

http://community.keithferrazzi.com/profile/DavidPalella

http://carbonmanna.blogspot.com

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Means Testing for Carbon Credit Originators?

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Means Testing for Carbon Offset Originators ?

The Carbon Micro Credit (CMC) as widow's mite ?

Can carbon offsets roll downhill ?

Carbon Trading -- a USD/US$ 100 billion market by 2010

Out of Africa ? And back into Africa ?


"The World Bank estimates that the size of the carbon market was USD 11 billion in 2005, USD 30 billion in 2006, and USD 64 billion in 2007" [Wikipedia.org]. Various sources estimate the global carbon trading market to reach the nice-round number of USD 100 billion by the nice-round date of 2010.

No wonder this carbon honey-pot has attracted 100s of carbon carpetbaggers, carbon gold diggers and financial opportunists from the rich nations of our Developed World. So how long before we see these gems of Wall Street engineering appear on the carbon trading scene ?

(1) CBS = Carbon-backed Securities ?

(2) CDS = Carbon Default Swaps ?

(3) CCO = Collateralized Carbon Obligations ? -- and

(4) Carbon offset hedge funds ?

They're coming to a brokerage near you sometime soon, sadly.

In great contrast, the cell-phone-based Carbon Micro Credits (CMCs) described in this blog, which are produced on the ground in the Developing World by solar cooking or by other real activities of poor individuals, are the pennies saved in a child's piggybank and the widow's mites given at the temple.

Such offsets should have greater market value than those produced by major corporations in China, India and South Korea by means of stretching the bounds of the United Nations' Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), e.g., by reducing NO2 emissions at a chemical plant, which should have been done ethically anyway with no reward at all of CDM carbon credits.

In short, the entire carbon credit / offset field should implement means testing, such that carbon credits are awarded from the Bottom of the Pyramid upwards. Now, carbon credits are given to the rich or middle-class at the Top or Middle of the Pyramid. But the Bottom has the greatest need, and ethically their offsets should be sold first and at higher rates/ton.

But how do we make carbon credits roll downhill -- and reliably identify their origin ? Consistent and broad implementation of the cell-phone-based Carbon Micro Credit (CMC) system will eventually pull carbon credits downward to their rightful resting place in the hands of the world's most deserving people. In parallel, however, major nations, leagues of nations, NGOs, charities and influential opinion leaders worldwide should lobby for this transformative reallocation of the rewards of the carbon-trading industry.

The cell-phone-based Carbon Micro Credit system described here makes it all possible today.

USD 100 billion for Wall Street bonuses ?

Or USD 100 each for 1 billion needy people in Africa ?

You decide.

Globally & warmly yours,

David Palella
Caped Carbon Crusader
CARBON MANNA UNLIMITED

San Diego, CA
tel: 858-793-0741
email: dpalella@san.rr.com

http://community.keithferrazzi.com/profile/DavidPalella

http://carbonmanna.blogspot.com

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