The World Economic Forum has posted an article that hints at something that I have also suggested. (I am not taking credit. Others have suggested the idea too…But advancing tech and credible, continued visibility helps the idea to be taken seriously!)
I am not referring to purchasing and retiring carbon credits. I like that idea too. Just briefly, for the sake of those who may not have heard of carbon credits, a carbon credit is a generic term for any tradable certificate or permit which gives the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide (or the equivalent amount of a different greenhouse gas). Carbon credits are just one part of international attempts to mitigate the growth in concentrations of greenhouse gases. One carbon credit is equal to one tonne of carbon dioxide. There are some companies that sell carbon credits to commercial and individual customers who are looking to lower their carbon footprint on a voluntary basis. Before I go into too much detail, I’ll stop there – but you can find more information on the CoolEffect website (click here to go now) should you require it.
But the idea that I am referring to is one that can enable fleets of autonomous, 
shared, electric vehicles. Benefits to individuals and to society are numerous. And the blockchain makes it possible early in the next decade. It is not science fiction.
The future is just around the corner. Non-coin applications of the blockchain will support great things. Goodbye car ownership. Hello clean air! The future of personal transportation is closer than you think.
Read about it at the World Economic Forum.
Ellery Davies co-chairs Crypsa & Bitcoin Event, columnist & board member at Lifeboat, editor
at WildDuck and will deliver the keynote address at Digital Currency Summit in Johannesburg.
The blockchain is already helping reduce pollution and traffic in my area!
Thanks Blockchain! Yeah right, this will never happen! Guaranteed!
Hello NIPSZX. Welcome to AWildDuck,
I appreciate your feedback and respect your opinion. This reply attempts to explain why I feel the idea has merit. In fact, I believe that it is an example of an applied, non-coin blockchain application with profound potential.
15 years ago, there already existed search engines. The path was blazed by AltaVista—and even before—by Yahoo, Excite and Lycos. But, few would have believed that the combination of a search page with targeted keyword advertising would result in one of the most profitable business models on Earth. As a result, Google restored a long-term “laboratory” ethos that we haven’t seen in this country since the heyday of Bell Labs, Xerox PARC, and the early IBM era.
Just four years ago, one project of that lab (another idea that generated chuckles & criticism) was the idea of a self-driving car. Today, almost all autonomous passenger vehicles still have a human ready to take control. Yet, with millions of miles of highway and city driving, the number of incidents and accidents pale in comparison to those controlled by a human driver. Are you among the few who believe that Uber or your own car (in the next decade), couldn’t possibly be controlled by GPS and robotic navigation?
I believe that the difference between invention and passive consumption is inspiration and imagination. I am not claiming that you are not a success or even an entrepreneur. But you and the VP of Innovation & Business Transformation at Innogy SE* have a chasm between what you can imagine and what you believe is possible.
On some matters, I might be as doubtful as you. But on this matter, I see an ideal application of blockchain methodology with the potential to address multiple problems at once: pollution, traffic jams, reduced need for building roads), reduced car ownership, reduced reliance on fossil fuels, etc.
Still, I respect your position. Thank you for sharing.
~Ellery
* Thomas Birr
Carsten Stöcker