RFK Jr. Counters Bitcoin’s Environmental Impact ‘Smokescreen’ Criticisms
Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spoken out towards arguments crucial of Bitcoin over its perceived environmental influence. He stated that opponents are utilizing it as a smokescreen to curtail monetary freedom.
On July 31, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK) reacted to what he stated was an “fascinating argument” that Bitcoin was not so unhealthy for the surroundings in any case.
Bitcoin Environmental Influence Arguments
Commenting on Sangha Techniques director Daniel Feldman’s publish on Bitcoin’s “symbiotic relationship” with renewable power, he stated.
“On the very least, environmental arguments shouldn’t be used as a smokescreen to curtail freedom to transact.”
Earlier this month, RFK Jr. described his imaginative and prescient for returning USD to a tough foreign money and backing it with belongings resembling BTC.
Anti-crypto politicians have typically cited Bitcoin mining as being dangerous to the surroundings over its excessive power utilization. Some environmentalists, resembling Greenpeace, have gone to such extremes as to accuse BTC of destroying the planet.
Whereas Bitcoin mining is energy-intensive, it makes use of extra renewable power now than ever.
Bitcoin Mining Power Sources March 2023. Supply: batcoinz / @dsbatten
Moreover, Feldman concurred that Bitcoin mining is an answer to enhance the electrical grid and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Nonetheless, he stated that “most renewable power websites are usually not worthwhile with out authorities subsidies.”
Authorities subsidies resembling tax credit create market distortions, he stated earlier than including:
“The movement of those credit are managed by the big banks that get bailed out in occasions of economic disaster, the exact same banks Bitcoin will free us from.”
Furthermore, renewable power websites face congestion and curtailment points with no international market to promote into throughout demand troughs.
Bitcoin solves this by making a “international marketplace for electrical energy that can encourage funding into renewable power initiatives with a brand new income frontier.”
Moreover, Bitcoin information facilities are versatile hundreds. This implies they’ll seamlessly activate and off. “This flexibility permits a renewable website to pivot to promote power into the native electrical energy market when the grid/shoppers want electrical energy,” he stated.
BTC Power Utilization Outlook
These arguments have been echoed by inexperienced power companies searching for the flexibleness of crypto mining operations. Nonetheless, they nonetheless face stiff opposition from blinkered politicians and clickbait media who imagine BTC will soften the planet.
World BTC mining operations at the moment use an estimated 137 TW/h (terawatt hours) per yr, in line with Cambridge College.
That sounds quite a bit when in comparison with a whole nation resembling Ukraine, which makes use of 134 TW/h by comparability.
Nonetheless, the electrical energy transmission and distribution losses in america alone may energy the Bitcoin community 1.5 occasions with 206 TW/h per yr.
