Debt and ledgers.

Anthropologist David Graeber made a compelling case that this was the system in many different societies and places before cash. There’s nothing stopping us from doing it again. His book talks extensively about how each society handled repayment, the role of violence, interest, social hierarchies, etc.

For some reason it’s become commonplace to think that barter is what preceded and/or would replace cash if we ever lost cash.

Anthropologist David Graeber has written a more compelling account of history with examples in a variety of societies showing that debt and ledgers are what came before cash and I’m thinking a system based off of them would probably be strong contender for a future without cash.

Unless this thing runs on fossil fuels, I don’t think it’s really going to have a big impact on climate change.

I guess there’s an argument that this is taking away engineering hours from projects that might have more practical uses in addressing climate change but I’d counter that sometimes engineers need a break from their usual work to avoid burning out from tedious incremental tasks and rigid processes. A bit of time and space for experimentation can be helpful, reinvigorating, and can lead to future discoveries and inventions if done right.