“Hodl The Rainforest!” – Meeting Elon Musk’s Challenge

Universal Carbon (UPCO2) becomes the first tradable carbon credit token to be listed on Bittrex Global

In a recent Tweet, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk,  challenged us all to “hodl the rainforest.” In crypto parlance the implication is that we all need to protect the rainforests that remain to us and future generations. The Universal Protocol Alliance (UPA), a coalition of leading blockchain companies including Bittrex Global, CertiK, Fifth Era, Hard Yaka, Ledger, Trovio, SFOX and Uphold, have responded, and today are excited to announce that “hodling the rainforest” is now possible through a unique technological breakthrough: tokenized and transparently substantiated certified voluntary carbon credits. It turns out that crypto can save the rainforest.

Today, Universal Carbon (UPCO2) the world’s first tradable REDD+ carbon credit token becomes the first environmental crypto commodity to be listed on Bittrex Global – the leading Liechtenstein-based digital asset trading platform.

“We are excited to be providing every Bittrex Global user with access to Universal Carbon (UPCO2),” said Tom Albright, CEO, Bittrex Global. “With this important new listing, we’re enabling institutional and retail investors to both invest in the appreciation of carbon credits and offset carbon footprints while helping to save the world’s rainforests.”

Launched December 1st 2020, each Universal Carbon (UPCO2) Token represents one tonne of CO2 pollution averted by a certified REDD+ project preventing rainforest loss or degradation. Every token is backed by a digital certificate issued by Verra and other international standards agencies, which allows certified projects to turn their greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions into tradable carbon credits.

In the lead-up to the creation of Universal Carbon (UPCO2) and BTC0 (an ERC-20 wrapped carbon neutral bitcoin), the UP Alliance consulted many of the world’s leading carbon experts, ultimately forming the UP Carbon Foundation. The UP Carbon Foundation’s role will be to ensure that the carbon credits underlying Universal Carbon (UPCO2) are diverse, of unimpeachable quality, and, where possible through block issuance, the money paid for fully performed credits can immediately flow into the expansion of protected acreage.

UPA Chairman, Matthew Le Merle said: “We believe Universal Carbon (UPCO2) is the best way to achieve the mission of protecting the world’s remaining rainforests and are excited that Bittrex Global agrees. We plan to jointly submit our technological breakthrough for one of the X Prize Foundation awards that Elon Musk is sponsoring.“

“UPA is proud to have made Elon’s vision a reality. Hodling the rainforests is a critical and tremendous start, as they are the lungs of the world and under siege… but with the advent of digital carbon credits, an entire world of possibilities open up, creating an efficient conduit for market forces to deliver outsize results precisely where they’re most needed.” concluded Le Merle.

About Bittrex Global

Bittrex Global offers customers access to one of the most secure digital asset trading platforms and digital wallet infrastructures in the world.  Bittrex Global provides a great experience for professional and novice customers alike, enabling the purchase of both cryptocurrency and tokenized stock. For more information please visit: https://global.bittrex.com/

About Universal Protocol Alliance

Universal Protocol Alliance’s vision is that every asset class will be digitized and tokenized. We are an alliance of like-minded cryptocurrency companies and blockchain pioneers including Bittrex Global, CertiK, Fifth Era, Hard Yaka, Trovio, Ledger, SFOX and Uphold. We know how to tokenize and transparently substantiate any asset. Our mission is to build out the world’s leading tokenization platform, ushering in a new era in finance. Learn more at www.universalprotocol.io

Photo by Chennawit Yulue from Pexels

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