442 sats \ 3 replies \ @kepford 5 Feb \ on: My MSNBC Friend bitcoin
The bitcoin network does use a lot of energy. No one should shy away from that. But many things use a lot of electricity and we never discuss them because we find utility in them. Most of the FUD comes from the work here. But it is actually an interesting site that can be used to combat the anti-bitcoin narrative. If you only look at percentage uses of energy you are missing many subtle points. I've had this energy conversation with many people that have heard the "scary" numbers. They were very ignorant of how electricity grids work and the idea of stranded energy.
Take a look at this site. Look at the energy usage comparisons. Think about the incentives to find the cheapest energy. Gas flaring is one of the coolest. There are so many ways bitcoin is a part of improving energy production and use. The average person just doesn't know about it. They don't understand where their power comes from. How it all works.
the problem with these arguments is that they aren't convincing if people just think Bitcoin mining is a waste of electricity; It doesn't really matter how much electricity is used by dryers or Christmas lights, because people see value in those. It's also a false dichotomy, because you can always argue to get rid of dryers AND Bitcoin mining; they aren't mutually exclusive.
I think people either need to be shown the value of bitcoin itself, or how mining is helping people in remote areas gain access to electricity by making it profitable to build infrastructure.