Cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin Mining Is Even More Polluting Since China's Crackdown, Study Finds
- China’s ban stopped miners from using its abundant hydropower
- Bitcoin network now uses more natural gas and coal for power
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The planet-warming emissions created by crypto mining rose after China outlawed the industry last year and miners lost access to the country’s clean hydropower, a new study says.
The share of renewable electricity used to power the Bitcoin network dropped from more than 40% in 2020 to about 25% in August 2021, according to estimates from a study published in energy research journal Joule. Miners that fled China were more likely to power operations with natural gas, doubling its share of the electricity mix to about 31%. And while Chinese miners also burned coal to power operations, the miners that moved to Kazakhstan began using a type of coal with an even higher carbon content, the study said.