Why Making Crypto Less of an Energy Hog Is So Hard: QuickTake

Is crypto trashing the planet? Digital assets such as Bitcoin depend on so-called miners whose giant server farms guzzle electricity day and night to run the networks that support them. The industry’s carbon footprint has grown so fast that it’s alarming climate campaigners, governments and other big energy users. China banned crypto mining in 2021, and Elon Musk stopped accepting Bitcoin as payment for his Tesla electric cars. When Bitcoin rival Ethereum slashed its power consumption in a major upgrade in September, it put pressure on other parts of the crypto world to clean up their act.

1. How much ...