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1) Ok, so how much CO2 does BTC actually create? How much of a worry is it?
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1) So on energy usage of BTC: The profile will change long-term. Right now the main driver is from block rewards. But as block rewards exponentially decay, those will become less relevant. Long-term, there are really two core drivers.
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3) Ok, so. Let's say you spend $X on BTC/ETH blockchain fees (or any PoW currency). Those $X are going to miners in a bidding war for block slots. In an efficient market, as long as it's profitable to run a BTC/ETH mining rig, more people will open them up.
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4) So in equilibrium, it should be a bit above breakeven: if they're paid $X, they must have < $X of total expenses. So gas fees ~ 1.5 * mining costs. mining costs are 1/2 electricity 1/2 machines, which take electricity. So 3/4 * mining costs ~ $ spent on electricity.
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5) Something like 1/3 of mining rigs run on renewable electricity, so dirty electricity ~ 2/3 * $ spent on electricity. Electricity that miners use costs ~$0.05 / kWh. Each kWh of dirty electricity produces about 0.0004 tons of CO2.
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8) So this implies, with large error bars: If, for every $1 you spend on gas/blockchain fees, you donate $0.0026 to Cool Earth, you'll be roughly carbon neutral. -- does this seem right? If so, I think the environmental worries about BTC are pretty easily offset!
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Suggesting clean electricity is somehow ever carbon neutral. Windmills never recover their CO2 debt Anthropogenic theory was debunked by an irreducibly simple climate model that proved CO2 forcing is exaggerated 4.5x's on average/IPCC model. ISCM also more accurate, obviously
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