NFT platform Unique Network has been selected by the United Nations’ accredited Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) and the International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges (IAAI GLOCHA) as the lead tech partner for DigitalArt4Climate, its latest initiative to help combat climate change. Unique Network is an NFT Chain that is expanding the capabilities for NFTs through its more efficient and scalable proof-of-stake solution, currently built for the Kusama and Polkadot blockchain networks.
As the climate crisis continues to escalate, it is imperative the young people of the world are brought into the solution-making process. To this end, the United Nations has recognized NFT technology as a unique new medium for creative expression that can help amplify messages about climate action. NFTs are a way for artists to monetize their work on a global scale and continue to receive payments for their work long after it is sold. Artists anywhere in the world can reach an international audience of collectors who support their work and mission, and the U.N. wants to bring this innovative art form to the next generation of creators who stand to benefit from a technology that can help them amplify and monetize their work.
DigitalArt4Climate aims to empower young artists, designers, and activists worldwide to create art that can inspire people to take action against the global climate crisis. Technology has long been a resource for activism, and NFTs represent a new medium that is optimized for the digital age. Unique Network will create and host DigitalArt4Climate’s NFT marketplace for these artists and web designers to showcase their artwork. The marketplace will be built on Unique Network’s ready-to-use suite of NFT solutions that uses blockchain technology that is optimized for energy efficiency and low carbon impact.
As part of its efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, the United Nations designated 2021 as the year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development to highlight the value of creativity as a uniquely powerful resource in implementing and achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals. DigitalArt4Climate, in partnership with UN-Habitat, is an initiative aimed at accelerating the forces of creativity to empower robust climate action. Led by GLOCHA, the DigitalArt4Climate initiative invites the world’s young artists to create art that will inspire people to challenge and mobilize the necessary resources for individuals to take climate action in the context of the Action for Climate Empowerment programme of the UNFCCC.
“To address the climate crisis, the United Nations understands the need to use any tool available to inspire people to commit to serious action on climate change,” said Miroslav Polzer, the founder and CEO of GLOCHA. “We believe that uniting digital innovations (IoT, data marketplaces, NFTs) with social innovations (new forms of multi-stakeholder cooperation) will lead to scalable and high participatory systems. We have found Unique Network’s innovative and flexible infrastructure to be the leading platform that will help us deliver high impact climate action. With this initiative we will drive the benefits of a society-wide mobilization of resources and people’s energies to make a sustainable world happen.”
Unique Network has joined the DigitalArt4Climate Initiative to lead the technical implementation of the program, alongside partner organizations GLOCHA, UN-Habitat, Social Alpha Foundation, Exquisite Workers, and Pallette69. Social Alpha Foundation will provide mentorship sessions for artists and sponsor the winner awards. Exquisite Workers is the lead creative and content partner for the initiative while Pallette69 is leading UX/UI mentorship for Designathon.
“We are excited to demonstrate that the ethos of distributed ledger technologies and open data can be used to support change agents in identifying climate actions they can make,” said Alexander Mitrovich, CEO of Unique Network. “Unique Network is extremely proud to collaborate with key United Nations associated initiatives, the global body for challenging paradigms and ensuring equity for a just transition. We believe that the future of human expression will be through sustainable NFTs, and we are dedicated to showing the whole world how it can unite our disparate communities in the fight to save our planet.”
The first component of this initiative was a Designathon, a design competition started in July that saw UX/UI designers compete to create the digital art gallery and marketplace that will showcase the second component of this initiative, DigitalArt4Climate Art Competition. Starting on International Youth Day, August 12, young artists will be able to submit their work on the initiative’s website. At the end of the competition, the DigitalArt4Climate contest submissions will be put up for auction on the DigitalArt4Climate marketplace, where artists can monetize their creations. The advanced features of Unique Network will allow for building in flexible economic and revenue models for individual artists.
The DigitalArt4Climate Initiative’s work program was structured to complement the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26), the annual global summit where nations meet to reach agreements on how to tackle climate change collectively, which takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, in November.
