I wonder about a new monetary system based on carbon. If you consider monetary systems as a measure of value, they bring an objective, measurable quantum to an inherently subjective and elusive concept. Well, what can be more valuable to us all than the health of our one and only planet? It seems to me that a monetary system that captures the inherent value of our planet's ecology is far more representative than one that seems to capture only our ability to exploit the planet's finite resources.

In this vein, I'd like to introduce the carbobuck. It's like a dollar, yen, franc, pound, etc. except it is a measure of the most fundamental unit of wealth we can imagine while living on earth: the planet's well-being. For example, consider your daily routine. You rise, bathe, eat, commute, contribute to (or extract from) the economy, commute again, and so on. These activities can be distilled down to a conventional monetary measure fairly accurately, but are they really measured at their most fundamental level? I argue that the balance of value measured by traditional monetary systems is incomplete and misleading. One may believe that he/she has contributed to the economy's collective wealth by using these traditional methods, but that may not be the case if one uses carbobucks instead of dollars. If a carbobuck could be made into an accurate measure of value based on earth's, and by extension, humanity's well-being (easier said than done) then one could reassess one's actual contribution.

I'd like to start an open-source, collaborative project on exactly that. I want to find a way to define and quantify the carbobuck. Any ideas?