4 ms·
It is not, because 1) it is quite a small part of total electricity consumption (around 1/30 in U.S.), and 2) it is unlikely to be cut down, due to more and mor
by effie 6y ago
It is not, because 1) it is quite a small part of total electricity consumption (around 1/30 in U.S.), and 2) it is unlikely to be cut down, due to more and more people on the planet and getting higher standard of living.
Important actions are those that are realistic and have an impact. For example, cancelling coal/gas power plants, building more CO2-free power plants, getting rid of combustion motors in naval transport, etc. Everybody can have an AC if we have CO2-free electric energy production.
- azernik 6y ago1) 1/30 of total electricity consumption is a hell of a lot! 2) Yes, developing-economy per capita energy usage is going to go up while they catch up to developed-economy standards of living; that's happening in all categories. Developed economies still need to reduce their energy usage. e.g. we're not stopping our switch to electric cars just because half of India is getting their first gas-powered scooter. Everyone can have A/C, but we need to keep our usage as low as is feasible.
- effie 6y agoAgreed. But while BTC consumes a lot, so do hundreds of other kinds of activities that are also by themselves insignificant. The pain of CO2 production should be felt by every consumer proportionally to what they consume. We need to fix overall energy policy, make everyone pay for their consumption just amount, and keep fixing the damn production to get carbon neutral.
- azernik 6y agoBTC is particularly egregious because it produces a lot less social value in exchange for its energy usage than A/C