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The Graphic Truth: Crypto-mining sucks up lots of power

The Graphic Truth: Crypto-mining sucks up lots of power
By Gabrielle Debinski,
Gabrielle Debinski

Gabrielle Debinski is a former senior writer at GZERO Media.

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Ari Winkleman
Ari Winkleman
Ari Winkleman is the lead designer at Eurasia Group and GZERO Media.
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April 19, 2021
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As the price of Bitcoin has skyrocketed in recent months, so has the amount of energy that procuring it hogs. Research shows that Bitcoin "mining" now uses 80 percent more energy than at the start of 2020. Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates recently sounded the alarm on crypto, saying that he would not invest in Bitcoin because mining for the digital currency requires huge amounts of energy, much of which is powered by fossil fuels that harm the environment. So where does Bitcoin rank in electricity consumption compared to nations?

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