The environmental footprint of bitcoin mining across the globe: Call for urgent action

Chamanara, Sanaz., Ghaffarizadeh, S. Arman., Madani, Kaveh. and Dascalu, Stefan., (2023). The environmental footprint of bitcoin mining across the globe: Call for urgent action. Earth's Future, 11(10), N/A-N/A

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  • Sub-type Journal article
    Author Chamanara, Sanaz.
    Ghaffarizadeh, S. Arman.
    Madani, Kaveh.
    Dascalu, Stefan.
    Title The environmental footprint of bitcoin mining across the globe: Call for urgent action
    Appearing in Earth's Future
    Volume 11
    Issue No. 10
    Publication Date 2023-10-24
    Place of Publication N/A
    Publisher AGU
    Start page N/A
    End page N/A
    Language eng
    Abstract Based on a multi-attribute assessment of the environmental impacts and challenges associated with global Bitcoin (BTC) mining activities around the globe, we call for urgent action by the scientific, policy, and advocacy communities. The worldwide BTC mining network consumed 173.42 TWh of electricity during the 2020–2021 period, bigger than the electricity consumption of most nations. The mining process emitted over 85.89 Mt of CO2eq in the same timeframe, equivalent to the emission caused by burning 84 billion pounds of coal or running 190 natural gas-fired power plants. The environmental footprint of BTC mining is not limited to greenhouse gas emissions. In 2020–2021, the global water footprint of BTC mining was about 1.65 km3, more than the domestic water use of 300 million people in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. The land footprint of the global BTC mining network during this period was more than 1,870 square kilometers, 1.4 times the area of Los Angeles. These striking numbers highlight the heavy reliance of the BTC network on fossil fuels and natural resource-intensive energy sources, resulting in major but unmonitored and unregulated environmental footprints. To mitigate the environmental costs of BTC mining, immediate policy interventions, technological advancements, and scientific research are crucial. Proposed measures include enhanced transparency, economic and regulatory tools, developing energy-efficient alternative coins, and the adoption of greener blockchain validation protocols.
    Keyword Cryptocurrency mining
    carbon, water, and land footprints
    regulatory intervention
    environmental impacts
    global Bitcoin mining network
    Copyright Holder author(s)
    Copyright Year 2023
    Copyright type Creative commons
    DOI 10.1029/2023EF003871
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    Created: Tue, 17 Sep 2024, 05:45:12 JST by Haideh Beigi on behalf of UNU INWEH