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Ask HN: Why does Bitcoin use so much energy per transaction?

1 points·by bitcoinmonger·5 years ago·0 comments

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bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
I don't know how anyone can defend cryptocurrencies after reading this lucid argument. I hope this provokes more discussion on the problem. Excellent work again from Stephen Diehl.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
Electric vehicles are a disaster for the environment. The hype around them is insane.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
Correction: you need more energy than Norway to attack the system.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
Has anyone considered the environmental impact of electric vehicles?

The electricity is generated in the most part by fossil fuels, so how are they in any way a green alternative?
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
Why is this being downvoted? There needs to be a conversation about the inefficient energy usage of Bitcoin. Are we just going to ignore it?
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
> How, exactly, would one argue that?

Banks use energy.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
Why not just perform a 51% attack? That's the obvious weakness.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
This is a big win for the environment. Government currency dramatically reduces the amount of energy wasted in running a cryptocurrency, so this should replace them.

Anyone advocating for Bitcoin et al at this point clearly cares more about financial gain than they do about the environment.

I hope this brings an end to the madness. These govcoins are better for everyone.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
Whilst simultaneously boiling the oceans.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
Are you suggesting that the energy usage of Bitcoin prevents attack, and that more energy usage would prevent government-scale attacks?

This seems to insinuate that the energy usage is justifiable in the act of securing a global currency.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
Quantum computers breaking the underlying cryptography.

Governments can try and regulate it, but it wouldn't kill it.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
Why is this comment being downvoted?

We need to have these conversations about energy usage until a solution is found.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
We need more people with years of experience in finance to warn against the risks of cryptocurrency.

The existing financial system has been designed fairly and has systems in place to prevent corruption.

We can't have an open source version of money that just anyone can contribute to. It's not in our best interest as a society.

Tight capital controls are there for our safety and to create a fair playing field for everyone. Bitcoin only serves to circumvent this, and it should be stopped.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
It's not quite the number of zeros. The hash digest is interpreted as a 256 bit integer, and this has to be below another 256 but integer (the target) for the block to be mined.

So you could get a block hash with "the correct number of zeros", but it would not be below the target.

It's a fair simplification though.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
This needs to be brought to an end. The energy usage of Bitcoin has been discussed ad nauseum, and I think we've all concluded that it serves no useful purpose.

The current banking system works perfectly well, and there is no need for an alternative in which users have complete control over their money. It's too dangerous.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
You sound like you're the type of person who would enjoy working for yourself instead of for someone else. Have you ever considered it?
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
Like rats off a sinking ship.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
It's safer for everyone if government controls the currency we use.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
It's security issues like this that are the reason why we should not allow anyone to have complete control of their money.

Another nail in Bitcoin's coffin.
bitcoinmonger
·5 years ago·discuss
I don't understand why Bitcoin has been designed to burn fossil fuels when it should just as easily be able to be run using green energy.

Until this is changed I can't see cryptocurrencies having a future, despite their utility.