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So it kills about 675 people per year :/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_accidents#Fatalities https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_accidents#Fatalities

gowld 9y ago
Are you assuming most Bitcoin mining is on Chinese coal electricity? Other forms of electricity are 5-10x safer.
- polskibus 9y ago
  Aren't most large bitcoin mines located in China though?
  - visarga 9y ago
    Soon to be located in Africa - more sun, cheap panels.
    - sgt 9y ago
      I think solar would have to become cheaper before this becomes viable. Luckily trends show that this will happen soon, but other challenges posed in Africa is political stability (e.g. government decides BitCoin mining is illegal or imposes unreasonable taxes due to lack of understanding), lack of competency, and other types of infrastructure. The only countries I can see that are suitable are South Africa and Namibia.
  - mrb 9y ago
    Not everyone mine with coal. «A signifcant concentration [of Bitcoin mines] can be observed in the Sichuan province, where miners have struck deals with local hydroelectric power statons to access cheap electricity» p. 94 of https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/research/centres/alternative-finance/downloads/2017-global-cryptocurrency-benchmarking-study.pdf https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/research/cen...
    - dbrgn 9y ago
      Also, coal in China is much cleaner than coal in the US, for example. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2017/05/15/432141/everything-think-know-coal-china-wrong/ https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2017/0...
  - flashdance 9y ago
    Many are located in Georgia and WA (honourable mention goes out to Labrador), which have cheap hydroelectricity.
- rebuilder 9y ago
  Does it matter, really? If Bitcoin mining wasn't run on chinese hydro power, some other industry could use that power but now instead uses a more polluting option.
  - StavrosK 9y ago
    Good point, so Bitcoin is actually killing no people, and we need to stop that other industry asap.
    - imtringued 9y ago
      The excess electricity could be used to burn less coal.
      - StavrosK 9y ago
        Sure, but we could also game less to burn less coal. I hardly think Bitcoin is the most useless thing we do with energy.
  - akvadrako 9y ago
    That probably isn't true, which is why that power is so cheap.
mrb 9y ago
Decorative christmas lights kill more people than that because these lights consume more energy than Bitcoin (see conclusion of my post)... if we are willing to spend X gigawatts on decorative lights, surely we should be willing to spend X gigawatts on a censorship-resistant decentralized payment system that changes the world.
- lobf 9y ago
  How do poor people utilize it?
  - Crespyl 9y ago
    Roughly as easily as they utilize cell phones.
    - lobf 9y ago
      Less than half of the world uses a smartphone, which I think would be necessary for BC transactions, would it not?
      - r3dk1ng 9y ago
        I do not have a smartphone. I have purchased things using bitcoin. Smartphones are not necessary for BC transactions.
        sverige 9y ago
        Did you purchase things using bitcoin with some kind of computer other than a smartphone? Or have you discovered a way to use bitcoin without any sort of connection to the internet?
        Tech-Noir 9y ago
        They meant smartphone as opposed to the classic Nokia-style 'dumbphone'.
    - 9y ago
ersii 9y ago
On the positive side, that would be way less than the amount of people Democratic nations kill each year! Yay!

gowld 9y ago

Are you assuming most Bitcoin mining is on Chinese coal electricity? Other forms of electricity are 5-10x safer.

polskibus 9y ago
Aren't most large bitcoin mines located in China though?
- visarga 9y ago
  Soon to be located in Africa - more sun, cheap panels.
  - sgt 9y ago
    I think solar would have to become cheaper before this becomes viable. Luckily trends show that this will happen soon, but other challenges posed in Africa is political stability (e.g. government decides BitCoin mining is illegal or imposes unreasonable taxes due to lack of understanding), lack of competency, and other types of infrastructure. The only countries I can see that are suitable are South Africa and Namibia.
- mrb 9y ago
  Not everyone mine with coal. «A signifcant concentration [of Bitcoin mines] can be observed in the Sichuan province, where miners have struck deals with local hydroelectric power statons to access cheap electricity» p. 94 of https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/research/centres/alternative-finance/downloads/2017-global-cryptocurrency-benchmarking-study.pdf https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/research/cen...
  - dbrgn 9y ago
    Also, coal in China is much cleaner than coal in the US, for example. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2017/05/15/432141/everything-think-know-coal-china-wrong/ https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2017/0...
- flashdance 9y ago
  Many are located in Georgia and WA (honourable mention goes out to Labrador), which have cheap hydroelectricity.
rebuilder 9y ago
Does it matter, really? If Bitcoin mining wasn't run on chinese hydro power, some other industry could use that power but now instead uses a more polluting option.
- StavrosK 9y ago
  Good point, so Bitcoin is actually killing no people, and we need to stop that other industry asap.
  - imtringued 9y ago
    The excess electricity could be used to burn less coal.
    - StavrosK 9y ago
      Sure, but we could also game less to burn less coal. I hardly think Bitcoin is the most useless thing we do with energy.
- akvadrako 9y ago
  That probably isn't true, which is why that power is so cheap.

mrb 9y ago

Decorative christmas lights kill more people than that because these lights consume more energy than Bitcoin (see conclusion of my post)... if we are willing to spend X gigawatts on decorative lights, surely we should be willing to spend X gigawatts on a censorship-resistant decentralized payment system that changes the world.

lobf 9y ago
How do poor people utilize it?
- Crespyl 9y ago
  Roughly as easily as they utilize cell phones.
  - lobf 9y ago
    Less than half of the world uses a smartphone, which I think would be necessary for BC transactions, would it not?
    - r3dk1ng 9y ago
      I do not have a smartphone. I have purchased things using bitcoin. Smartphones are not necessary for BC transactions.
      - sverige 9y ago
        Did you purchase things using bitcoin with some kind of computer other than a smartphone? Or have you discovered a way to use bitcoin without any sort of connection to the internet?
      - Tech-Noir 9y ago
        They meant smartphone as opposed to the classic Nokia-style 'dumbphone'.
  - 9y ago

ersii 9y ago

On the positive side, that would be way less than the amount of people Democratic nations kill each year! Yay!