Trees vs automobile traffic

"I hate trees and I'm glad there are only a few left on this island. I love cars and traffic, that's why I'm into road development. Today I'm going to cut down some of the last trees to make room for bigger traffic jams in the years to come."

Q: But trees are incredible living beings and need to be protected, especially on the island of Gozo in Malta. Where else are birds going to make nests and how are children going to play in the shade over the summer?

"Trees are not sentient beings, they feel nothing. My children are happy with youtube. Birds can fly to other places. Excuse me, I have to go, the church bells are ringing."

The trees are calling

Q: Traffic congestion was identified as the main local problem to solve at the 2017 Malta Innovation Summit. A possible solution was mentioned: create a decentralized platform based on Bitcoin technologies with micro-monetization incentives for locals to collaborate on a shared IoT sensor network between vehicles and roadways, accessible by government-sponsored smartphone apps. 

"What? Bitcoin is for corrupt criminals. I don't have time or capital for innovation. Business is business. I need to do my work. I was contracted to clear space for cars. Call my boss or call the Ministry."

Q: (calls the boss)
Hi, why are you cutting down the last trees?

"We are cutting down the last trees because they are in the middle of the road and threaten to kill drivers. And they are old trees. Moreover, people look up to me because my importance grows every year. I have a responsible position and I need to get things done as soon as possible in order to get paid, so that I can pay my people. Have a wonderful day." 

Q: (calls a more important person)
Hi, what do you think about those trees in the middle of the road?

"It looks like we should tell the tree specialists to cut them down to make room between the hospital entrance and the funeral parlour in that residential area because the cars need more space this year. We have an exponential increase in the amount of cars and we want to make it look nice for the tourists. Thank you so much for pointing out the trees."

Paradigm Shifts

Q: Thank you for your time on this planet. May I suggest something?

How about we record all the remaining Gozitan trees on a public decentralized blockchain which everyone can view in order to co-create a conscious global example of shared responsibility for ecological harmony?

In such an ecologically sensitive area, the "final frontier" and "last resort" at the edge of Europe, people should be educated on the existence of tools such as decentralized distributed ledger technologies (DLT) which would enable them to collectively attain consensus and collaboratively formulate business logic regarding environmental matters such as the decisions to remove old standing trees which could have remained where they are even with a jam-packed road. Local residents and the global online public could have something to say in terms of valuable alternative solutions to the removal of the trees.

---

What is a tree on the blockchain?

A tree on the blockchain is when human beings use their minds and hearts to create businesses and technologies which add value to harmony on planet Earth. In a more technical introductory tone, every tree is unique and every tree exists usually at one particular location over time. Such a tree is agreeably appreciated by many beings over the course of its lifespan. This information can be registered in a transparent manner on the blockchain and anyone in a position of responsibility deciding on the fate of a tree would then have to comply with the set guidelines and polices set forth in their jurisdiction by the inherent new-paradigm business logic. They would then be held accountable for the lives of the trees by all caring human beings on the planet. Perhaps in this way we could learn to solve such challenges together, or, at our own peril.

"Sounds like a wonderful idea which attempts to reasonably solve the local ecological situation. Can we also put the cats on the blockchain? ...but we don't mean cryptokitties. We have a National Blockchain Task Force and an amazing array of talented teams and individuals ready to implement the initial stages of the work. Here's our recommended team of experts and a reasonable budget to make it happen."

Q: Thank you for understanding the cycles of life. Here's a homemade apple pie. Good day.

This article ends on a brief emotional opinion, an intentionally unprofessional statement to the perpetrators: if we live in a world where justice is founded upon an "eye for an eye" then this is merely offering digital text in response to the physical killing of living trees, homes of birds, leafy air converters, givers of new life, sharers of abundance. The author does this in the language of destruction in order to be understood more clearly: fuck you.

Originally the photographs of the trees were taken to write about how wonderful it is to see them being taken care of by the road construction crew. Now the trees have been destroyed. It is possible to count all the remaining mature trees on the island with one single day's worth of drone surveillance.

Notice

What may happen next? Is this a road rage crisis? A transportation crisis? A technological crisis? An ecological crisis? A spiritual crisis?

Stay tuned as we journey throughout the island of Gozo enjoying our natural co-existance with the unique living landscape. We will be asking questions of the above as they relate to the emerging blockchain revolution. 

---

This is the first article from @nicebigtree. The tree destruction happened during the week of publication (May 5th, 2018) at Ghajn Qatet Street in Victoria, Gozo, Malta. For further notice please see the local community article titled, "Renovation of roads around Gozo Hospital should be of high standard".