How Paytech can help to Solve Social Problems such as Climate Change By David Lais (@OfnK_DE) “The greatest threat of our times” – according to a speech by Barack Obama, this is neither terrorism nor economic meltdown, but it is indeed climate change. Climate change is a central challenge for our society and it can only be solved by society as a whole. Every single one of us have a direct impact on the environment by the way we life our lives. The things we buy, the food we eat and any other decision we take day by day has a direct impact on the environment. Most of our day by day decisions is connected to a purchase and payment, regardless if you buy a coffee in the morning or travel by car or train to work, all of it is sooner or later connected to a purchase. It is important to understand that WE are under control of our influences and that we can change the impact on the environment! But essentially it means we need to know what impact we have and digital payment transactions combined with the latest technology such as machine learning and AI can build the bridge to the knowledge we need to make better decisions. A German non for profit organisation has built a system to analyse payment transactions and supplement consumers with various information about the merchants and the purchase itself. Different machine learning algorithms categorize and analyse the information, comparing purchases with sustainability indexes and public information to determine the environmental impact. The information is then reported to consumers via an app. This makes it easier for consumers to understand the social and environmental impact behind their purchases. Joint with various indications, it shows consumers alternatives for offsetting / balancing their footprint. For example, in the form of quality seals or the possibility of a targeted donation.