Regardless of Bitcoin’s rising institutional adoption in 2025, its environmental affect continues to be being misunderstood and misinterpreted by many, in response to ESG professional Daniel Batten.
In an X thread on Saturday, Batten mentioned there are 9 widespread criticisms of Bitcoin mining’s power use that may be debunked by real-world information.
“Each nascent disruptive know-how is accompanied by claims which might be based mostly on lack of know-how, lack of information, and a worry of one thing unknown,” mentioned Batten.
In November, the Dow Jones lambasted Harvard College for investing a few of its endowment in BTC, labelling it as a “pretend foreign money and money-laundering software that can also be an environmental disaster.“
In July, Bloomberg claimed that Bitcoin “devours the electrical energy meant for the world’s poor.”
Delusion: Bitcoin is resource-intensive, destabilizes energy grids
The premise that Bitcoin consumes loads of power, water, and e-waste per transaction is solely “not true,” he mentioned.
Batten argues this has already been debunked by 4 peer-reviewed research concluding that useful resource use is unbiased of transaction quantity. “Which means that Bitcoin transaction quantity can scale with out rising useful resource use.”
Second, the declare that Bitcoin mining destabilizes energy grids can also be a delusion, because it really does the other — stabilizing grids by versatile load administration, particularly on renewable-heavy grids like these in Texas.
Bitcoin mining doesn’t improve energy prices
There may be additionally no information to help the declare that on a regular basis customers pay extra for electrical energy due to Bitcoin miners, he mentioned.
“Neither within the information, nor in a peer-reviewed examine is there proof to help the declare,” he added, highlighting a number of cases when Bitcoin mining has been discovered to assist decrease costs.
Associated: Bitcoin mining’s 2026 reckoning: AI pivots, margin stress and a combat to outlive
Fourth, evaluating Bitcoin’s power utilization to complete international locations is deceptive as a result of the main focus ought to be on power supply transformation, not the discount of utilization, in response to the Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change (IPCC).
“The worldwide computing community used to help Bitcoin already makes use of extra power than Thailand or Poland —sure, actually,” reported Morningstar in November.
“Bitcoin’s carbon footprint could be very excessive,” can also be a flawed assertion as a result of mining has no direct emissions, solely scope-2 emissions from electrical energy utilization,” mentioned Batten.
“Bitcoin mining is, in actual fact, the one world trade for which there’s strong, third-party information displaying it has crossed the 50% sustainable power threshold.”
Bitcoin mining emissions depth is falling. Supply: Daniel Batten
Proof-of-stake shouldn’t be essentially higher
Batten additionally argued with the notion that proof-of-stake Ethereum (ETH) is best for the surroundings than proof-of-work Bitcoin (BTC). Claiming this makes PoS extra environmentally pleasant “errs by conflating power use with hurt,” he mentioned.
In 2022, an article from the Australian Monetary Assessment about Ethereum’s transition to proof-of-stake described the blockchain as beforehand utilizing as a lot electrical energy as Chile.
Screenshot of a 2022 article about Ethereum’s Merge. Supply: AFR
Nevertheless, Batten argues PoW affords many advantages, comparable to the power to mitigate methane, present stability to the power grid, improve renewable power capability, and monetize wasted renewable power.
The argument that landfill and flare fuel might be used for issues aside from Bitcoin mining is “technically true,” however economically infeasible since solely Bitcoin’s economics make stranded methane viable, Batten argued.
Bitcoin mining promotes renewable power utilization
The declare that Bitcoin mining takes away renewable power from different customers can also be false, as proof exhibits the other, he mentioned.
“Many individuals now have entry to renewable power who in any other case wouldn’t have, as a direct results of Bitcoin mining,” reported Batten, citing a undertaking known as Gridless in Africa, which has delivered renewable power to an estimated 28,000 folks.
Lastly, the argument that “Bitcoin mining wastes power” is a delusion as a result of it prevents renewable power waste, reaching over 90% of photo voltaic and wind utilization in research, in response to the ESG professional.
“Additional, ‘losing power’ shouldn’t be an goal evaluation, however a worth judgment. One can solely declare that power is wasted if no good to humanity is produced within the course of.”
Journal: Kain Warwick loses $50K ETH guess, Bitmine’s ‘1000x’ share plan: Hodler’s Digest
