According to recent research, bitcoin mining creates significant electronic trash. This waste “represents a growing threat to the environment”. According to a co-author of the study, the average life cycle of the sophisticated computers used to uncover the world’s largest cryptocurrency units was only 1.3 years.
In Comparison This is ‘Very Short’
According to Alex de Vries, in comparison, with other electronic gadgets like iPhones, this is “very short”. Bitcoin mining created 30,700 tons of electronic trash in the 12 months to May. Alex de Vries is a Dutch central bank economist, and Christian Stoll, the report’s co-author, is an MIT graduate. Additionally, this was “comparable to the amount of small IT and telecommunication equipment waste produced by a country like the Netherlands,” according to the research.
The rush to unearth new bitcoins means that the processing capacity of mining machines will soon be obsolete. One unit was worth more than $47,000 on Friday after a meteoric increase this year.
Higher Value of Bitcoin, More Trash
According to research published in the scientific magazine Elsevier, the higher the value of bitcoin, the more electronic trash.
Despite the large quantity of trash produced, it is still a tiny portion of the global total generated by discarding electronic gadgets. Last year it totalled 53.6 million tonnes
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