5 ms·

Solution: Carbon emission tax.

by elitan 6y ago

whywhywhywhy 6y ago
If using a GPU to mine crypto is unethical shouldn't using a GPU to do things like videogames and rending hollywood super hero movies should also be taxed I mean they both run GPUs at 100% for hundreds of hours. Perhaps computing power in general should be capped so it can only use small amounts of power.
- dukeyukey 6y ago
  If they use fossil-fuel plants, yes, though the tax would be applied to the energy generation, not energy use.
- totony 6y ago
  Carbon tax is not about making something illegal. You playing a game 4h/day is nothing compared to 1000 gpus mining 24/7. One is pennies in tax and the other would (presumably) be way more significant.
  - EdwinLarkin 6y ago
    Even today carbon taxes are the stupidest idea people from rich nations thought about. Around 5BN from the developing world will laugh at this proposal. They will not be able to trade with you? Oh well they might trade among themselves and dont have to face competition from rich countries. I call this win win.
    - totony 6y ago
      Do you honestly believe (let's say) the USA cutting all economic ties/imposing tariffs is insignificant? Of course they can trade with the others who don't care about pollution. That doesn't mean the costs of a carbon tax don't outweigh the benefits of having economic ties with the countries that have that tax.
      - EdwinLarkin 6y ago
        Since carbon taxes primarily benefit local production...yes? Emerging nations are too far away from the US to care about it as much as you think. >That doesn't mean the costs of a carbon tax don't outweigh the benefits of having economic ties with the countries that have that tax. The only reason the world is not at war is globalization and even that is coming to an end.
  - whywhywhywhy 6y ago
    > You playing a game 4h/day is nothing compared to 1000 gpus mining 24/7. Red Dead Redemption 2 sold 34 million, the game takes well over 100 hours to complete and runs GPUs to their limits. I think even if just half or a quarter of the players completed it that's significant next to mining and needs to be looked at with the same level as criticism.
    - totony 6y ago
      That's not the point. The person playing the game would pay 10cents in carbon tax or something, which is insignificant to them. The person with a bitcoin farm would have to pay much much more, which is a disincentive. And even if it is worth it to them to run with the carbon tax (as it would be for a gamer), the money that's being taxed can be used to offset their emission. That's the point of a carbon tax; pollute if you want BUT you pay for what you generate as pollution so that we can offset it in some other way.
Viker 6y ago
Should that apply to all digital computations? Data centers? Youtube? Facebook? Should they and bitcoin be seen on the same level?
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- dukeyukey 6y ago
  None of those emit GHG by themselves, you usually tax emissions at the source: power plants. So yes, digital computations will be "taxed" if they use fossil-fuel energy.

Solution: Carbon emission tax.

by elitan 6y ago

Solution: Carbon emission tax.

If using a GPU to mine crypto is unethical shouldn't using a GPU to do things like videogames and rending hollywood super hero movies should also be taxed I mean they both run GPUs at 100% for hundreds of hours. Perhaps computing power in general should be capped so it can only use small amounts of power.

dukeyukey 6y ago
If they use fossil-fuel plants, yes, though the tax would be applied to the energy generation, not energy use.
totony 6y ago
Carbon tax is not about making something illegal. You playing a game 4h/day is nothing compared to 1000 gpus mining 24/7. One is pennies in tax and the other would (presumably) be way more significant.
- EdwinLarkin 6y ago
  Even today carbon taxes are the stupidest idea people from rich nations thought about. Around 5BN from the developing world will laugh at this proposal. They will not be able to trade with you? Oh well they might trade among themselves and dont have to face competition from rich countries. I call this win win.
  - totony 6y ago
    Do you honestly believe (let's say) the USA cutting all economic ties/imposing tariffs is insignificant? Of course they can trade with the others who don't care about pollution. That doesn't mean the costs of a carbon tax don't outweigh the benefits of having economic ties with the countries that have that tax.
    - EdwinLarkin 6y ago
      Since carbon taxes primarily benefit local production...yes? Emerging nations are too far away from the US to care about it as much as you think. >That doesn't mean the costs of a carbon tax don't outweigh the benefits of having economic ties with the countries that have that tax. The only reason the world is not at war is globalization and even that is coming to an end.
- whywhywhywhy 6y ago
  > You playing a game 4h/day is nothing compared to 1000 gpus mining 24/7. Red Dead Redemption 2 sold 34 million, the game takes well over 100 hours to complete and runs GPUs to their limits. I think even if just half or a quarter of the players completed it that's significant next to mining and needs to be looked at with the same level as criticism.
  - totony 6y ago
    That's not the point. The person playing the game would pay 10cents in carbon tax or something, which is insignificant to them. The person with a bitcoin farm would have to pay much much more, which is a disincentive. And even if it is worth it to them to run with the carbon tax (as it would be for a gamer), the money that's being taxed can be used to offset their emission. That's the point of a carbon tax; pollute if you want BUT you pay for what you generate as pollution so that we can offset it in some other way.

Viker 6y ago

Should that apply to all digital computations? Data centers? Youtube? Facebook? Should they and bitcoin be seen on the same level?

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
dukeyukey 6y ago
None of those emit GHG by themselves, you usually tax emissions at the source: power plants. So yes, digital computations will be "taxed" if they use fossil-fuel energy.