Bitcoin could be as bad for the planet as beef

Cryptocurrency mining is energy intensive because it requires highly specialised computers - and most of the electricity it consumes is generated by burning planet-warming fossil fuels. — AFP

Bitcoin mining’s climate impact is comparable to farming cattle or burning gasoline when taken as a proportion of market value, according to researchers at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Cryptocurrency mining is energy intensive because it requires highly specialised computers - and most of the electricity it consumes is generated by burning planet-warming fossil fuels.