“The internet is not clean because it primarily requires a lot of energy for its storage. Therefore, technologies that require little storage space are important. The opposite of this is the blockchain, which is also used for Bitcoin. A single Bitcoin transfer emits as much CO2 as an 1,800 kilometer car ride with an average combustion engine. The entire system of intangible currencies is as environmentally harmful as hard cash could never be. Bitcoin transactions alone consume almost as much as power generation in Switzerland, and if the enthusiasm for it continues to rise, consumption will eventually be higher than that of the USA.”
– Benjamin Fredrich in “Book or E-Paper – which is more harmful to the environment?” in “Katapult – Magazine for Cartography and Social Science”, No. 9, April – June 2018
