As ether makes energy-saving software switch, will bitcoin follow?

Ethereum’s imminent shift to the ‘proof-of-stake’ method looks set to intensify climate pressure on cryptocurrency leader bitcoin. — Reuters

LOS ANGELES: Ethereum, the blockchain underpinning the world’s second-largest crypto token ether, is poised for a software upgrade that will slash the amount of energy it uses – a step that could increase pressure on bitcoin to take similar climate-friendly action.

The software switch, known as “the merge”, comes amid growing debate over the environmental impact of crypto mining in the United States, with green groups saying its use of fossil fuels undermines efforts to cut planet-heating emissions.