The (counter) solution is not to discuss for what to burn coal, but to finally stop burning coal, oil and gas. USA and EU could do that within a few years. And then stop or tax imports from countries that still do burn coal.
But that is inconvenient for many, so they prefer discussing nerdy Bitcoin PoW instead.
And secondly and most importantly, the government should not decide what products are allowed to be traded: Governments should lift all bans on products currently banned, all drugs, all books, all music, all banned clothing, etc.
Is there a concrete plan for how this would work documented somewhere? The ways I can think of doing this in the USA are all politically nonviable.
Which makes it a self-inflicted injury. Like corruotion in Russia - it can't be adressed by anyone else.
I can think of many things equally or similarly energy wasteful as Bitcoin.
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2010/06/04/the-problem-of-...
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practic...
If you spent the same energy used to mine bitcoin on producing Legos or In-N-Out burgers, then you'd have much bigger problems.
I
It's a nondescript pollution factory from the Captain Planet cartoons.
Every other wasteful activity has just been overconsumptive, decadent, or externalized, not an actual burning of resources for no reason.
All energy production will have an environmental cost, not just carbon dioxide emitting ones.
Why not both?