The Investor’s Guide to the Environmental Impact of Bitcoin Mining

The top articles on bitcoin and the environment curated by our managing editor

article-image
share

Blockworks has curated a collection of the latest articles and research on bitcoin and the environment. Read on and scroll to the bottom for a complete list of our Investor’s Guides.

Bitcoin’s Energy Usage Isn’t a Problem. Here’s Why.

Lyn Alden, August 2021

Bitcoin’s energy usage has been in the news for years. It’s often criticized for using too much energy, or not making efficient use of its energy, or in extreme cases, being an outright climate/energy disaster.

Keep reading

Solar + Battery + Bitcoin Mining

Brett Winton, Director of Research, ARK Investment Management, April 22, 2021

Bitcoin critics often assert that bitcoin mining consumes more resources, specifically energy, than the benefits it creates. What critics deem computationally inefficient and unscalable, however, advocates consider not only an intended tradeoff but a fundamental feature. Critics also assert that the computation required to secure Bitcoin, even if necessary, is environmentally damaging and ruining the planet.

We believe that the opposite is true: a world with bitcoin is a world that, at equilibrium, generates more electricity from renewable carbon-free sources.

Keep reading

Bitcoin is Key to an Abundant, Clean Energy Future

Square, April 21, 2021

In this memo, we aim to explain how the Bitcoin network functions as a unique energy buyer that could enable society to deploy substantially more solar and wind generation capacity. This deployment, along with energy storage, aims to facilitate the transition to a cleaner and more resilient electricity grid. We believe that the energy asset owners of today can become the essential bitcoin miners of tomorrow.

Keep reading

Bitcoin Energy Consumption & Climate Change: Does Bitcoin Use Too Much Energy?

Andreas Antonopolis, YouTube, @aantonop, April 21, 2021

Bitcoin and climate change. Many people say they’re concerned about climate change and the energy consumption of bitcoin mining. Watch this video to learn some counter arguments to the claims that bitcoin harms the environment.

Keep reading

A Closer Look at the Environmental Impact of Bitcoin Mining

Christopher Bendiksen, CoinShares, March 30, 2021

In what is by now the worst kept secret of the industry, Bitcoin mining actually offers an incredible opportunity to optimize renewable-heavy grids. Miners, being supremely mobile and flexible, can act as demand response systems. They can sit right near the renewable resource (even moving with the seasons) in question — avoiding the need to excessively beef up grids — and dynamically consume excess energy whenever more is being produced than the non-mining market needs (meaning prices are low). This allows for immediate monetization of energy that would otherwise be wasted, driving down overall electricity costs. In other words it can act as a monetary battery.

Keep reading

Noahbjectivity on Bitcoin Mining: A Response to Noah Smith

Nic Carter, March 29, 2021

The Bloomberg columnist Noah Smith has a lot of thoughts on Bitcoin. Some of them are really solid and engage with the reality of the protocol itself, which is rare for a member of the mainstream media circuit. He also discloses that he owns Bitcoin, which is impressive for an economist and a member of the establishment. So I’m pretty happy with him overall. I don’t want this piece to be interpreted as a blanket critique of Noah’s stance on Bitcoin. However, Noah’s recent column in Bloomberg, Bitcoin Miners are on a Path to Self-Destruction, makes a few claims that warrant a response.

Keep reading

Three Myths About Bitcoin’s Energy Consumption

Domonik Stroukal, SatoshiLabs, Medium, October 27, 2020

You’ve heard it before, “Bitcoin burns as much energy as Switzerland, so much that it will accelerate global warming by a few degrees Celsius over the next few years”. Is that true? No, those are both myths. But, like any good myth, they are rooted in reality, and are then twisted into a fantastic tale, featuring giants and unicorns but no heroes; the end of the world will surely come soon. Doomsayers profit off spreading misinformation, so let’s take apart some of the myths related to Bitcoin and energy and take a look at what the reality is.

Keep reading

Podcast – The Truth About Bitcoin’s Energy with Harry Sudock

What Bitcoin Did, June 2021

In this interview, Peter McCormack talks to Harry Sudock, the Vice President of Strategy at Griid. They discuss the energy consumption of Bitcoin mining, energy generation & the power grid and the case for renewable energy.

Watch on YouTube

Get educated. Check out The Investor’s Guide to Bitcoin, The Investor’s Guide to NFTs and The Investor’s Guide to DeFi.

The content of this webpage is not investment advice and does not constitute any offer or solicitation to offer or recommendation of any company, product, or idea. It is for general educational purposes only and does not take into account your individual needs, investment objectives or specific financial circumstances.

Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

recent research

Unlocked Advisory-min.png

Research

This report distills Blockworks Advisory’s research on incentive programs and their analysis, offering a foundation for designing future initiatives and advancing industry-wide standards. By highlighting key lessons and methodologies, we aim to empower protocols to make informed, data-driven decisions.

article-image

Crypto is “really exciting,” former SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins said in a podcast interview last year

article-image

Bitcoin is now the “seventh most valuable asset in the world by market cap, just behind the likes of Google and Amazon,” GSR’s Brian Rudick said

article-image

Many analysts expected bitcoin to top $100K before year-end, though it’s been on a post-election tear

article-image

Will investors take a 10% lower return to get access to a regulated investment wrapper?

article-image

Brian Armstrong called out the hire of Gurbir Grewal, who had been the SEC’s enforcement division director since 2021

article-image

Certain senators will be interested to learn about Atkins’s private sector business interests, specifically those related to crypto