Want to just put this idea out there for the feasibility of a crypto currency backed not by solving hard computations, but instead for producing clean, pure water.
High quality water and availability seems to be trending in the direction of scarcity. You might think this is ridiculous, since there appears to be an unlimited supply of tap water, but how clean is that water? Tap water is increasingly becoming polluted in ways hard to clean. Microplastics, metals, hormones like estrogen, possible contamination by farming, industry.
What if the work done to mine the crypto currency was the cleaning of water. Either waste water, salt water, or tap water locally (in the home, or apartment complex, or neighbourhood level).
It would need a way to be cheat-proof, but there could be a water-exchange where you can consume or inject clear water and receive/spend crypto-currency.
How harebrained of an idea is it? The fundamental problem is there, but the execution would need to be heavily regulated (possibly limited to highly trusted actors). What if a future fiat currency were not backed by something like gold, or Bitcoin, but clean water?
