Lifeboat money: Economic strategies for human survival

Resumen

During the Great Depression, many local communities issued simplified forms of emergency currency commonly known as “stamp scrip” or “lifeboat money.” These instruments reduced the cost of exchange by incorporating a negative interest mechanism, whereby users purchased periodic stamps to maintain the validity of circulating notes. This paper revisits the historical logic of lifeboat money and examines its contemporary relevance in an era of digital payments and systemic ecological risk. It argues that a digitally implemented, self-liquidating currency could function as both a crisis-stabilisation tool and a long-term sustainability mechanism if tethered to regionally grounded indicators. A proposed foundational metric is the proportion of benign renewable energy consumption relative to total regional energy production. Regions demonstrating stronger sustainability performance would benefit from favourable exchange conditions, reinforcing incentives for ecological stewardship, circular resource use and alignment between population and enduring bioregional capacities. The study contends that lifeboat money offers a structural alternative to inflationary monetary systems, exchange rate volatility and centralised financial intermediation. By integrating termination, traceability and sustainability tethering, the model outlines a pathway towards a lower-cost, stability-oriented and ecologically aligned medium of exchange.