How bitcoin keeps the air Clean?

[LDL]

The question in the topic makes you wonder how Bitcoin will actually prevent air pollution.
Bitcoin mining requires a lot of energy, and if Bitcoin mining is done by burning fuel, then there will be environmental pollution. In that case, how will environmental pollution be prevented?
We basically waste a large portion of the oil we extract from oil mines by releasing it into the atmosphere and burning it. If we do not waste that amount of oil, if the direct fuel is used for Bitcoin mining, we will be able to prevent a large portion of environmental pollution.
If Bitcoin mining is done on the side without wasting the amount of energy that is usually wasted from thermal power plants and coal-fired power plants, then we will be able to do Bitcoin mining while preventing environmental pollution. This could be one of the strategies for reducing environmental pollution.

[Cryptohygenic]

To articulate what you have said, wasting of those energies can be conserved for bitcoin mining which means instead those energies can be resourceful in a given amount of being productive. But talking about bitcoin cleaning the air in terms of pollution is what I don't know Instead, it generates it own pollution due to it highly amplified required electricity to power mining equipments. Though it is not entirely true that mining causes environmental pollution because, there are other means of gaining power supplies to power those equipments which could be green energy resources.

[Victorybit1]

Mining bitcoin in general consumes alot of energy especially if the mining pool is run on a very wide and big scale. But there are clean ways in which bitcoin can be mine as it all depends on the source of the electricity that powers the high mining machineries so this is where the use of probably hydro or even solar source of energy to source the whole process, no doubt it will be very expensive but on a great scale it will reduce the pollution.

[Die_empty]

If Bitcoin mining is done on the side without wasting the amount of energy that is usually wasted from thermal power plants and coal-fired power plants, then we will be able to do Bitcoin mining while preventing environmental pollution. This could be one of the strategies for reducing environmental pollution.

It's always a good idea to recycle ways and use them for other gainful purposes. There have been different projects about Bitcoin miners using byproducts to power mining rigs. But this conversion of gas coming out from the oil well ( which is not pure methane but a mix of various gases, like butane, propane, and others) to power is not cheap. Miners might spend more to make this happen. But it could be a good move since it is reducing pollution.  

https://www.coindesk.com/consensus-magazine/2023/07/24/ghost-from-the-well-is-crypto-mining-with-associated-gas-better-for-the-environment
https://coingeek.com/union-jack-oil-gas-to-btc-shift-boosts-us-crypto-mining/

Mining bitcoin in general consumes alot of energy especially if the mining pool is run on a very wide and big scale.

Banks and AI data centres consume more power than Bitcoin mining.

[Odohu]

The question in the topic makes you wonder how Bitcoin will actually prevent air pollution.
Bitcoin mining requires a lot of energy, and if Bitcoin mining is done by burning fuel, then there will be environmental pollution. In that case, how will environmental pollution be prevented?
We basically waste a large portion of the oil we extract from oil mines by releasing it into the atmosphere and burning it. If we do not waste that amount of oil, if the direct fuel is used for Bitcoin mining, we will be able to prevent a large portion of environmental pollution.
If Bitcoin mining is done on the side without wasting the amount of energy that is usually wasted from thermal power plants and coal-fired power plants, then we will be able to do Bitcoin mining while preventing environmental pollution. This could be one of the strategies for reducing environmental pollution.

I have been thinking about the waste in energy that occurs in some country that flare gases like mine. Such wasted gases could have been converted to energy for Bitcoin mining but that will be possible in a country where Bitcoin is legalized like El Salvador. For a country like mine where our government does not have a clear direction towards Bitcoin, such proposal will not be possible.

[MArsland]

The question in the topic makes you wonder how Bitcoin will actually prevent air pollution.
Bitcoin mining requires a lot of energy, and if Bitcoin mining is done by burning fuel, then there will be environmental pollution. In that case, how will environmental pollution be prevented?
We basically waste a large portion of the oil we extract from oil mines by releasing it into the atmosphere and burning it. If we do not waste that amount of oil, if the direct fuel is used for Bitcoin mining, we will be able to prevent a large portion of environmental pollution.
If Bitcoin mining is done on the side without wasting the amount of energy that is usually wasted from thermal power plants and coal-fired power plants, then we will be able to do Bitcoin mining while preventing environmental pollution. This could be one of the strategies for reducing environmental pollution.

I have been thinking about the waste in energy that occurs in some country that flare gases like mine. Such wasted gases could have been converted to energy for Bitcoin mining but that will be possible in a country where Bitcoin is legalized like El Salvador. For a country like mine where our government does not have a clear direction towards Bitcoin, such proposal will not be possible.

It is true that policy plays an important role in solving the problem of gas waste. Perhaps the most reasonable solution is to propose that waste gas be used as a source of electricity, but so far I do not fully understand how this works in detail, especially in terms of the process of decomposing waste gas.

[Jubilee58]

To articulate what you have said, wasting of those energies can be conserved for bitcoin mining which means instead those energies can be resourceful in a given amount of being productive. But talking about bitcoin cleaning the air in terms of pollution is what I don't know Instead, it generates it own pollution due to it highly amplified required electricity to power mining equipments. Though it is not entirely true that mining causes environmental pollution because, there are other means of gaining power supplies to power those equipments which could be green energy resources.

It is true that Bitcoin requires a lot of energy to mine and this energy can be conserved in a way and in times of pollution, there are other ways bitcoin miners can generate electricity without polluting the atmosphere like the use of solar energy.

Bitcoin can be mined without the use of power plant and in that case, it can be mined without polluting the air.

[Dunamisx]

The question in the topic makes you wonder how Bitcoin will actually prevent air pollution.
Bitcoin mining requires a lot of energy, and if Bitcoin mining is done by burning fuel, then there will be environmental pollution. In that case, how will environmental pollution be prevented?
We basically waste a large portion of the oil we extract from oil mines by releasing it into the atmosphere and burning it. If we do not waste that amount of oil, if the direct fuel is used for Bitcoin mining, we will be able to prevent a large portion of environmental pollution.
If Bitcoin mining is done on the side without wasting the amount of energy that is usually wasted from thermal power plants and coal-fired power plants, then we will be able to do Bitcoin mining while preventing environmental pollution. This could be one of the strategies for reducing environmental pollution.

I have heard of the scenario whereby the energy waste from charcoals burning, petroleum crude refining and many more are being used to make the energy sources that supply for Bitcoin mining, while on the reality, of you compared the mining site of these natural resources to Bitcoin mining rig, you will definitely see the difference and how Bitcoin could serve as a way of solving the environmental pollution created by its mining.

Let me take us a way back then when I saw this thread being created. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5325350.msg56613804#msg56613804 it made lots of explanations and comparison between them and why we should see bitcoin mining being environmental friendly.

[Stalker22]

Its an interesting concept, and I have already read about it on some portals.  But, if this thing is so great at cutting pollution and making extra profit, why arent all the energy companies doing it all over the place?  What are the main obstacles?  Is it too hard to do, are there too many rules, or does it just not make enough money to put miners at all those random, far-off flare sites?

[moneystery]

This concept has already been implemented by several miners, who use flared gas from oil well sites to power generators that support their bitcoin mining. This approach not only reduces energy waste from exhaust gases but also reduces dependence on electricity from the main grid, which is often expensive or environmentally unfriendly. Here is an example:

1. Bitcoin Mining at a Flare Gas Oil Well Site. BTC Farm Tour.
2. Bitcoin mining on a stranded natural gas well.

This approach is actually quite innovative, as it utilizes wasted energy from oil well sites to power their Bitcoin mining operations. However, another consideration for miners is the significant capital requirement, as they need funds to purchase generators and other equipment, as well as transportation costs and obtaining permits from local governments. But if successful, miners would eliminate electricity costs and contribute to reducing carbon emissions.

[Dave1]

There is also this company Crusoe who works under that premise:

Here are the basics. The company was founded in 2018 to address the problem of natural gas flaring. Natural gas is a byproduct of oil extraction, and if oil field operators have no economical use case for the gas or are unable to transfer it elsewhere, it’s often simply burned. If you, like me, have spent time sourcing stock images of air pollution, you’ve probably seen the pictures of giant flames coming out of tall smokestacks near oil pump jacks and other drilling infrastructure. That’s what flaring natural gas looks like, and it is indeed terrible for the environment. That’s largely because the process fails to fully combust methane, which is the primary component of natural gas and 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20 year period.

That’s where Crusoe comes in. The company’s co-founder, president, and chief operating officer, Cully Cavness was working in the oil and gas industry when he realized that stranded natural gas could be harnessed to power Bitcoin-mining data centers if they were sited directly next to the oil field infrastructure. Burning natural gas for electricity production fully combusts methane, producing CO2 as a byproduct. Still bad, you might say! But it’s definitely not as bad as methane leaking into the atmosphere via flaring, the status quo where Crusoe operates.

https://www.crusoe.ai/resources/newsroom/how-a-natural-gas-powered-bitcoin-miner-became-a-darling-of-climate-tech

So maybe there could be other tech companies that are really looking at the problem of the supposedly bad effect of Bitcoin mining in the environment. Although this topic has been with us, there are studies that already debunked it. And if we compare it to the banks using electricity and printing money, it is said that they too has a bad effect on the environment.

[Patikno]

Mining bitcoin in general consumes alot of energy especially if the mining pool is run on a very wide and big scale.

Banks and AI data centres consume more power than Bitcoin mining.

I think so too. I even believe gold mining consumes more power than Bitcoin mining and produces a lot of pollution through the equipment used in the process, especially when using heavy equipment like dump trucks, panning equipment, sprayers, or pumps. So, I think Bitcoin mining is more likely to be done using environmentally friendly power sources, such as geothermal energy, solar energy, or recyclable energy sources. So, we can conclude that Bitcoin mining is more environmentally friendly, especially since Bitcoin mining can be customized to suit different locations (flexible). Cmiiw.

[Darker45]

I've read about this years ago, but it's misleading to say that Bitcoin keeps the air clean simply because of this. Bitcoin doesn't make the air clean. Bitcoin doesn't keep the air clean. Bitcoin mining emits greenhouse gases. In other words, it contributes to global warming. That's regardless of its source of energy. Let's just be honest and call a spade a spade.

Can it be avoided? Of course, not. The emission can be minimized, though. But there's nothing to be so guilty about. Essentially all human activities leave carbon footprints.

[NewRanger]

If Bitcoin mining is done on the side without wasting the amount of energy that is usually wasted from thermal power plants and coal-fired power plants, then we will be able to do Bitcoin mining while preventing environmental pollution. This could be one of the strategies for reducing environmental pollution.

The labeling of BTC mining as a contributor to several other air pollution issues due to its energy consumption has, of course, always been a focus of special attention by some environmentalists, especially considering the severe impact of coal-fired power plants on CO₂ emissions.

What I've seen and read from various news sources is that miners also want their businesses to run smoothly without further damage using low-carbon energy. For example, the idea you presented is quite realistic, so it won't be wasted. At first glance, it's good, but I find it quite troublesome. First, not all miners will commit to using green energy, especially if prices rise. Another common reason is that they might not focus on that, as not all power plants are willing infrastructure for miners.

So, in short, this works, but it's not permanent, but only temporary.

[CryptoYar]

That is very smart way to see how Bitcoin could help environment with solving problem of wasted energy. You are correct that if Bitcoin mining just burns more fuel it causes pollution. However clever idea is to use energy that is already being thrown away. For example at oil mines and harmful gases are mostly burned off. Using that gas for mining instead makes money from waste product and mostly lowers worst pollution. Similarly when power plants have extra unused energy Bitcoin miners can buy that cheap power which helps make entire electrical grid more efficient. This strategy changes main question from how much energy Bitcoin uses to what kind of energy it uses giving people reason to clean up wasted power and use it for good.

[9ja Amaka]

Mining bitcoin in general consumes alot of energy especially if the mining pool is run on a very wide and big scale. But there are clean ways in which bitcoin can be mine as it all depends on the source of the electricity that powers the high mining machineries so this is where the use of probably hydro or even solar source of energy to source the whole process, no doubt it will be very expensive but on a great scale it will reduce the pollution.

The solar system is better than all forms of electricity. It relies on solar energy only to power those machines. Although it will cost high and will demand a lot of solar materials to achieve a wide scale mining. It also will depend on the machines that are availlable for operation, thus the higher the machine the cost of purchasing a solar system that will run them 24 hours. Only an existing miner can afford this, it will be very difficult for a new miner to cover all of these expenses.

[SilverCryptoBullet]

The question in the topic makes you wonder how Bitcoin will actually prevent air pollution.
Bitcoin mining requires a lot of energy, and if Bitcoin mining is done by burning fuel, then there will be environmental pollution. In that case, how will environmental pollution be prevented?

Why always Bitcoin?

Debunking the "Bitcoin is an environmental disaster" argument
End the FUD as Bitcoin wastes energy.

This video is a report from Bitcoin Mining Council with data that debunks such FUD you are wondering about.
Bitcoin Mining Council H1 2023 Briefing.

[tottong]

If Bitcoin mining is done on the side without wasting the amount of energy that is usually wasted from thermal power plants and coal-fired power plants, then we will be able to do Bitcoin mining while preventing environmental pollution. This could be one of the strategies for reducing environmental pollution.

The fundamental question why only Bitcoin is considered to pollute the environment, not there are many companies that exist today also pollute the air.
This is a kind of anomaly because Bitcoin is always associated with air pollution even though the truth can be prevented by various methods and now to move electricity as the resources needed to carry out mining can be accessed for environmentally friendly.
Environmental pollution is not too large if the process used uses several methods and its nature is more to excessive emission reduction. Can also combine solar and wind power to level the curve and reduce the burden on the network.

[X-ray]

The question in the topic makes you wonder how Bitcoin will actually prevent air pollution.
Bitcoin mining requires a lot of energy, and if Bitcoin mining is done by burning fuel, then there will be environmental pollution. In that case, how will environmental pollution be prevented?

Why always Bitcoin?

I have the same thought. AI data center literally eating water and electricity out there yet people keep accusing bitcoin of environmental pollution kinda crazy to me.

These haters and fudders are just here to insult nothing more. The fact that miners use more renewable energy for more than half of their energy source and mind you it's higher than most of other industrial activity out there never seems to be pointed out. Just dumb accusation one after another.

[BitGoba]

Bitcoin encourages the production of energy from renewable sources, such as wind farms and solar power plants, because this type of energy is practically free and creates no pollution
Bitcoin is also used as a kind of  energy battery  for example, in wind or solar power plants, when there is strong wind or very sunny weather and the demand for electricity is low, the surplus energy would otherwise be wasted.
That is why many solar and wind power plants today install Bitcoin mining facilities, so that during periods of low electricity demand, when they have plenty of sun or wind, they can store the excess energy in Bitcoin , in other words, they turn on mining equipment and mine Bitcoin.