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China Mining Ban Worsens Bitcoin’s Carbon Footprint. Study Claims

China Mining Ban Worsened Bitcoin’s Carbon Footprint, Study Claims

Contrary to some expectations, Beijing’s crackdown on the crypto mining industry has increased Bitcoin’s carbon emissions, researchers have alleged. They claim that miners have abandoned China’s eco-friendly hydropower, and are now more dependent on fossil fuels for energy.

Bitcoin Mining Allowedly Less Green since Miners’ Exodus from China

Cryptocurrency mining has become a dirtier process after the Chinese government effectively prohibited bitcoin extraction in the People’s Republic, according to research published in the Joule journal. The share of renewable energy used to power mining operations has fallen from almost 42% to around 25% last August, the study insists.

It has been estimated that Bitcoin produces more than 65 megatons of carbon dioxide annually. The amount exceeds the total carbon emissions of a country like Greece, for example, which in 2019 registered less than 57 megatons of CO2. Alex de Vries, one of the authors, said to the BBC:

We see the network becoming less green than ever before.

He explained to Bloomberg that the shift of mining companies from the United States to countries like Kazakhstan and the United States has resulted in a decrease in renewable energy sources. This made bitcoin production less friendly to the environment as it resulted in the increase of its carbon intensity by about 17%.

De Vries is the founder of Digiconomist.net, a platform presenting itself as “dedicated to exposing the unintended consequences of digital trends” and publishing the Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index. He is also a researcher at Vrije University, Amsterdam. His estimates about Bitcoin’s energy usage have been challenged by crypto media and members of the community but quoted by mainstream publications.

Migration from the U.S. has increased the use of fossil fuels especially natural gas. However, only a small amount of electrical energy generated in the country is from renewables according to De Vries’ latest report. And moving to Kazakhstan often leads to utilizing electricity from power stations burning what’s known as “hard coal,” polluting more than the Chinese plants that miners worked with outside the wet season.

China banned crypto-related activities such as trading back in 2017 but the government did not interfere with mining until last spring. In May 2021, the State Council decided to clamp down on the industry following President Xi Jinping’s pledge to achieve carbon neutrality in the next four decades. The crackdown has since spread to provinces like Sichuan where miners had access to hydropower.


BBC reported that

Industry groups were more optimistic about the potential use of renewables for the minting digital currencies. It quotes an older estimate made by the Bitcoin Mining Council, according to which the “global mining industry’s sustainable electricity mix had grown to approximately 58.5%.”

Meanwhile, in Europe, nations such as Sweden and regulators like the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) have more recently voiced concerns over the growing use of renewable energy for bitcoin mining. They are calling for an EU-wide ban of energy-intensive mining methods.

On Friday, news came out that the European Parliament canceled a scheduled vote on the bloc’s new crypto regulations after a proposal to prohibit proof-of-work mining found its way to the draft Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) framework and sparked negative reactions from the industry.

What are your thoughts on the findings of the bitcoin mining study? Please leave your comments below.

Lubomir Tassev

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Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

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Bitcoin Pepe’s potential sets it for 100X gains as crypto majors stall

Despite the optimism and steady fundamentals that continue to buoy cryptocurrencies, majors like Bitcoin and Cardano remain range-bound. Even so, revolutionary projects founded on the ultra-popular meme culture are thriving. Among the fresh entities worth watching is Bitcoin Pepe. The meme project’s growth potential and subsequent FOMO is unmatched. In just the first 90 seconds…


Despite the optimism and steady fundamentals that continue to buoy cryptocurrencies, majors like Bitcoin and Cardano remain range-bound. Even so, revolutionary projects founded on the ultra-popular meme culture are thriving. Among the fresh entities worth watching is Bitcoin Pepe.

The meme project’s growth potential and subsequent FOMO is unmatched. In just the first 90 seconds of its presale, it has already sold out its stage 1. The one-of-a-kind project has maintained that momentum and is currently at stage 4. With 26 more stages to go before its launch in Q2’25, this is the ideal opportunity for savvy investors to amass some BPEP tokens. 

Bitcoin’s anticipated breakout is on the horizon

Bitcoin price is still in a tight range even as the bulls remain in control. After hitting a fresh record high in late January 2025, the crypto major is back to the consolidation phase that has been in place since November 2024. 

As seen on Binance, the crypto fear & greed index is at a neutral level of 50, indicating that investors are on the sidelines. Even so, the support zone of $90,000 will likely remain steady in the short to medium term.

In the absence of a major near-term catalyst, the range between $93,365 and $98,381 is worth watching. Infact, the range’s upper limit is the point of convergence for the 25 and 50-day EMAs. The confirmation of a golden cross, occurring when the short-term MA crosses the medium-term one to the upside, will likely bolster the crypto to the upper resistance level of $101,549.

Bitcoin Price
Bitcoin Price

Bitcoin Pepe price to surge by over 300% before Q2’s launch

All fundamentals point to Bitcoin Pepe being one of the fastest-growing ICOs in 2025. As the first meme ICO on Bitcoin’s network, it has brought the much-needed layer of meme culture to the leading crypto. 

As seen on its website, its mission is to build “Solana on Bitcoin”. It is this unique amalgamation that has crypto enthusiasts rushing to amass some BPEP tokens before the price skyrockets. Based on its robust growth potential, the current price of $0.0243 may be the lowest for the meme coin going forward. 

 In about one week, it has already raised over $2.5 million with stage 3 being sold out. As part of this stage model, the token price increases by 5% with each stage. This means that the early adopters who jumped on this opportunity at stage 1 when it was at $0.021 have already made considerable gains. 

At the end of the 30 stages, BPEP price will have increased by 311.4% to $0.0864. Even before hitting the public shelves, its holders will be sitting on hefty profits. Read more on how to buy Bitcoin Pepe.

Cardano bulls to wait longer for the highly anticipated breakout

Cardano Price
Cardano Price

Entering into 2025, Cardano was one of the crypto majors expected to benefit from the highly anticipated bull run. Indeed, this thesis was substantiated by the altcoin’s rallying past the psychologically crucial mark of $1 in early January.

However, with the recent tech selloff, Cardano price has dropped by over 30% within one month. Even so, the crypto’s fundamentals remain steady. In addition to the optimism observed across the crypto market, hype over the possible approval of Grayscale’s Cardano ETF is set to support the altcoin.

Based on this bullish thesis, Cardano price will likely remain above the crucial support zone of $0.7005. On the upside, the sustained death cross points to the continuation of range-bound trading. 

The bulls will need to gather enough momentum to break the resistance at $0.8341. In the absence of a major bullish catalyst, a price increase past that resistance level will still encounter a short-term ceiling at $0.8875. 


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Tether, government of Guinea partner to accelerate digital transformation

Tether said it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Guinea. MoU is on blockchain adoption and digital transformation as Guinea looks to become a global leader in blockchain and and peer-to-peer technologies. Tether has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see it collaborate with the government…


  • Tether said it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Guinea.
  • MoU is on blockchain adoption and digital transformation as Guinea looks to become a global leader in blockchain and and peer-to-peer technologies.

Tether has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see it collaborate with the government of the Republic of Guinea to promote blockchain adoption in the country.

According to Tether, the strategic collaboration will explore blockchain and peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies. Guinea’s government looks to tap into this partnership to enhance economic growth and drive digital transformation.

Tether’s MoU with government of Guinea

The MoU focuses on initiatives across education and innovation, as well as sustainable technology practices, Tether said in blog post.

However, the target also includes enhancing adoption of blockchain technologies, with collaboration also potentially involving joint efforts on Guinea’s City of Science and Innovation.

With these programs and support in place, Tether’s aim will be to accelerate the country’s adoption of blockchain and to position it as a hub of crypto, research and entrepreneurship.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said:

“We are thrilled to collaborate with the Republic of Guinea to possibly unlock the immense potential of blockchain and digital technologies across Africa. This MoU reflects our commitment to helping countries build resilient digital economies. Together, we aim to implement efficient blockchain solutions that benefit both public and private sectors, paving the way for economic growth and establishing Guinea as a leader in technological innovation.”

Tether’s growth in recent years has included establishment of key partnerships and support programs with governments and institutions around the world. These include Plan ₿ Forum in Lugano, Switzerland, a crypto education program in Türkiye and P2P telecommunication infrastructure initiative in Uzbekistan.

USDT issuer Tether has also launched education courses and programs in Indonesia, Vietnam and Ivory Coast among other countries.

Its partnership with the Guinea government comes amid growing adoption of crypto in Africa. Guinea wants to tap into this trend for its digital transformation.

The MoU “lays the foundations for a solid technical framework,” added Pr Abdoulaye Baniré Diallo, project coordinator of Guinea’s City of Science and Innovation.


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Bitcoin ETFs Attract Nearly $1 Billion in New Capital With Blackrock’s IBIT Dominating Inflows

Bitcoin ETFs added another $917 million in inflows, driven largely by Blackrock’s IBIT and continued investor enthusiasm. Meanwhile, ether ETFs slid back into outflow territory with a $23.88 million exit. Bitcoin ETF Boom Continues With $917M Inflows With Ether ETFs Unable to Maintain Momentum Investor appetite for bitcoin ETFs remains insatiable…
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