How Blockchain is Shaping Climate Action: Highlights from Earth Day 2025 Panel
On April 22, 2025, Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) and Blockchain x Climate (BxC) celebrated Earth Day during the webinar "Earth Day 2025 –Blockchain and Sustainability: Where are We Today?” David Fortson (Regen Network Development PBC), Belén Páez (Fundación Pachamama), Rohan Sherrard (Nasdaq), and Andrew Bonneau (Carbonmark) examined sustainability-driven use cases that leverage blockchain. They also illuminated the role of emerging technologies across the environmental market value chain, particularly within the voluntary carbon market (VCM). The energy in the virtual room was clear: optimism about blockchain’s ability to unlock ecological restoration – but also a call to stay grounded in community governance, transparency, and collaboration. Here are some of the key takeaways from the panel:
Unlocking New Climate Finance Mechanisms
Andrew Bonneau opened the discussion with a candid look at blockchain’s journey in carbon markets.
While early experiments between 2020–2022 brought excitement and innovation — think KlimaDAO, Toucan, and Moss.Earth — the pace of blockchain integration into traditional climate markets slowed under the weight of regulatory concerns.
But now, Bonneau shared, “The clouds are starting to part.”
Today, several carbon registries are actively leveraging blockchain, including Polygon chain integrations like ICR. Smart contracts and fractionalized carbon credits are making it easier to embed climate actions directly into real-world applications like payment systems and logistics.
At Carbonmark, these technologies are already being applied:
“We automate purchase and retirement flows of carbon assets, fractionalize credits, and integrate them into fintech applications — like offsetting credit card transactions or commercial activities.” – Andrew Bonneau, Carbonmark
The goal? Speed up capital flows back to environmental projects, empower smaller developers, and increase trust across the market.
Building Institutional Bridges: Nasdaq’s Perspective
Rohan Sherrard, Principal Product Manager at Nasdaq, provided a fascinating look from the traditional finance world.
Nasdaq has strategically invested in solutions that marry blockchain with carbon markets, aiming to tackle one of the sector’s biggest hurdles: inefficient infrastructure.
“We’re applying institutional-grade digital asset technology to carbon markets — focusing on automation, transparency, and cost reduction,” said Sherrard.
“Our goal is to help carbon assets become a standardized, trusted ecosystem where institutional capital can flow more freely.”
From digitizing carbon credit registries to enhancing pre-issuance processes with oracles and verified data, Nasdaq’s efforts aim to make carbon-backed financial products mainstream — enabling more yield-generating sustainability investments.
Grounding Innovation in Indigenous Wisdom
While blockchain’s potential is exciting, Belen Páez from Fundación Pachamama reminded the audience that true climate action must be rooted in community empowerment and ecological stewardship.
Working alongside indigenous communities in the Amazon, Páez emphasized that technology alone is not enough. It must honor centuries-old governance systems like Assemblia (community assemblies) and free, prior, and informed consent processes.
Through initiatives like the Jaguares Credit program with Regen Network, blockchain is enabling indigenous youth to monitor biodiversity, protect vast tracts of rainforest, and directly benefit financially from conservation without relying on slow-moving government programs.
“Blockchain connects with indigenous wisdom — it’s not about imposing technology, but about strengthening what’s already there,” said Páez.
“It allows communities to maintain autonomy, develop financial plans, and defend the forest on their own terms.”
The result? Immediate income for forest protection, skills for future generations, and a powerful model to scale across the Amazon basin.
Toward a Shared Infrastructure for Climate Action
As the session wrapped up, a common theme emerged: collaboration.
Andrew Bonneau captured the moment perfectly:
“One reason DeFi was so innovative is because people built together on shared infrastructure. In climate finance, we have the same opportunity now — to create new financing pathways for carbon, biodiversity, and beyond.”
If blockchain’s early experiments taught the sector anything, it’s that moving fast without broad collaboration leads to setbacks.
Today, the focus is different: it’s about building trusted, transparent, and interconnected systems that can support the scale of action the planet urgently needs.
Final Thoughts: A Reason for Optimism
Despite volatility in global markets and policy landscapes, the panelists left the audience with a hopeful message. Blockchain is no longer a fringe idea in climate finance — it’s steadily becoming part of the foundational infrastructure for a more regenerative economy.
“The carbon market is transforming. We’re seeing more institutional interest, better infrastructure, and new ways for capital to flow toward ecological repair,” said Sherrard.
“And with innovations like direct access for indigenous communities and real-time carbon accounting, we’re speeding up the transition to a regenerative future,” added Bonneau.
As we move forward from Earth Day 2025, Carbonmark remains committed to building the next generation of climate markets — open, transparent, and designed for real-world impact.
Visit our Buyers page to explore all the ways to buy verified carbon credits — via bank transfer, with a credit card, or through our carbon offset API.
