Contrary to some expectations, Beijing’s crackdown on the crypto mining industry has increased Bitcoin’s carbon emissions, researchers have alleged. Leaving China, miners also left behind its eco-friendly hydropower and are increasingly relying on energy generated by fossil fuels, they claim.
Bitcoin Mining Allegedly Less Green Since Miners’ Exodus From China
Cryptocurrency mining has become a dirtier process after the Chinese government effectively prohibited bitcoin extraction in the People’s Republic, according to research published in the Joule journal. The share of renewable energy used to power mining operations has fallen from almost 42% to around 25% last August, the study insists.
It has been estimated that Bitcoin produces more than 65 megatons of carbon dioxide annually. The amount exceeds the total carbon emissions of a country like Greece, for example, which in 2019 registered less than 57 megatons of CO2. One of the authors, Alex de Vries, told the BBC:
We see the network becoming less green than ever before.
Speaking to Bloomberg, he elaborated that…
