From Carbon Records to Climate Finance Infrastructure: Social, Institutional, and Governance Implications of Blockchain-Based Carbon Acidization

Peizhu Wang; Zhaoqi Wang; Shubing Hou

doi:10.63646/FLPN3021

Authors

Peizhu Wang^1,* https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5881-7837
- Conceptualization
- Formal Analysis
- Methodology
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
Zhaoqi Wang¹ https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8357-0768
- Data Curation
- Investigation
- Software
- Visualization
Shubing Hou¹ https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4108-3439
- Project Administration
- Supervision
- Validation
- Writing – Review & Editing

¹ School of Management, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China 100048

Corresponding author: 1919680953@qq.com

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63646/FLPN3021

Keywords:

Blockchain; carbon association; climate finance; carbon accounting; governance; carbon markets; institutional trust

Abstract

Blockchain-based carbon association is increasingly discussed as a means of converting verified emission records into tradable, collateralizable, and auditable climate finance instruments. Yet the technical emphasis on distributed ledgers, smart contracts, and tokenized credits often understates the social and institutional conditions that determine whether such systems improve climate governance or merely reproduce existing market weaknesses in digital form. This article develops a governance-centered review and analytical framework for blockchain-enabled carbon association. Drawing on the research direction of trustworthy carbon data accounting, verification, and asset circulation, the article examines how carbon records move from measurement, reporting, and verification systems into registries, tokens, markets, and financial disclosure pipelines. The review identifies four linked evaluation dimensions: environmental integrity, institutional accountability, market stability, and social legitimacy. A comparative scenario analysis shows that blockchain infrastructure may reduce verification latency and double-counting risk, but it also introduces new governance risks related to privacy, speculative liquidity, protocol dependence, and uneven access for smaller firms and communities. The article contributes a socio-technical framework that connects carbon data reliability with climate finance infrastructure design. The findings suggest that blockchain-based carbon associations should be governed as public-interest financial infrastructure rather than as a purely technological upgrade to carbon markets.

How to Cite

Wang, P., Wang, Z., & Hou, S. (2026). From Carbon Records to Climate Finance Infrastructure: Social, Institutional, and Governance Implications of Blockchain-Based Carbon Acidization. Journal of Technology Innovation and Society, 2(1), 89-105. https://doi.org/10.63646/FLPN3021

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