Ask HN: Is crypto still bad for the environment?
I remember lots of discussion on how crypto was heavily impacting climate change a few years ago, is that still the case? Was it debunked? I don't see any consensus after some google-searching
2) Keep in mind that the climate isn't the only important variable in society. If crypto is bad for the environment, but great for freedom from government tyranny, is it not still good on balance?
3) A lot of the criticism of crypto you read might not be very genuine. A lot of criticism of crypto may come from people/corporations in the media with vested interests in the primacy of the current financial order. So make up your own mind about crypto rather than being influenced by the generic media broadcasts.
I can agree with you on all points above, but why is it more important to keep freedom from tyranny instead of keeping our environment healthy? If climate change ruins the earth what’s the point of freedom anyway?
Value is subjective, and anybody is entitled to prioritize the environment over any other values just as I'm free to prioritize freedom over anything else. I might just as well ask you what's the point of living in the most aesthetic prison? I don't know that there's an objectively right answer here, we're just speaking on different values.
> If climate change ruins the earth what’s the point of freedom anyway?
A lot of big science-related political disagreements in recent years stem from radically different (and in my opinion, wrong) risk-management decisions from people who (in my opinion) have almost always proven themselves to be wrong in a major way.
Based on everything I've learned in my life, I think the odds of normal human activity destroying the Earth are a very remote bet, and the odds of authoritarians who gain absolute power murdering many millions is a total guarantee.
IMO, while I don't think this would be a popular opinion on HN, I think humans face a far bigger risk from authoritarians than from climate change.
The consensus about proof of work crypto is that it's terrible for the environment. I know someone who crypto mine in winter to heat up his home but it's more for fun, and he would rather invest in new windows than cryptominers.
For example gamers, crypto fiends, people who stream content, etc. They should incur some extra charges for their compute spend.
It’s for the planet and maybe we could break doomerism by pricing it out.