Individual CF tracking and management system using blockchain and zero-knowledge proof

Climate change, driven by global warming and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, poses a significant global challenge. International organizations and governments are actively pursuing emission reduction strategies, yet these efforts are often constrained by the direct relationship between emissions and national economic activity. This paper proposes a blockchain-based carbon footprint (CF) management system named P u r e C a r b o P r i n t , that leverages data from IoT devices, and security is ensured by zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) to track and reduce CF at the individual level. Individual data is collected and converted into carbon coin, a hybrid (online-offline) crypto coin operating on the Pure Chain network. A smart contract, deployed on the Pure Chain network using the Pure Chain coin, governs the proposed system. Additionally, zk-SNARK is applied to implement ZKP for the validity and integrity of the information verification without revealing private information. Based on theoretical models and previous studies on behavior-based carbon reductions, it is expected that the system can achieve up to a 30% reduction in CF per user within the first year.