Clean up Bitcoin
The world’s most popular digital currency is causing dangerous amounts of real-world pollution and has become a major roadblock in our fight to phase out fossil fuels.
Bitcoin is fueling the climate crisis, and Greenpeace USA is demanding action from the major financial institutions who make Bitcoin’s climate destruction possible.
Bitcoin — the world’s largest digital currency — consumes as much electricity as entire countries due to its energy-hungry code. 62% of that electricity came from fossil fuels globally in 2022, and coal was the largest single source.
This technology has revived decommissioned coal-fired and fossil fuel power plants, generated substantial air, water, and noise pollution across the planet, and is rolling back the hard-won progress we’ve made on cutting global carbon emissions. Bitcoin’s climate destruction is expected to keep growing as mainstream financial institutions make it easier to use.
BlackRock, Fidelity, Vanguard, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express make Bitcoin’s pollution possible by investing in its expansion — yet all nine have failed to take meaningful action to solve this problem despite making climate and sustainability pledges.
They have the power and resources to push for a change to Bitcoin’s code that would eliminate nearly 100% of its electricity consumption (something the world’s second-largest digital currency has already done).
Greenpeace USA is calling on all nine of these companies to publicly acknowledge Bitcoin’s pollution, publicly support a change to Bitcoin’s code, work with us to help change Bitcoin’s code, and to pause further Bitcoin expansion until Bitcoin’s climate destruction is addressed.
-
Bankrolling Bitcoin pollution: How Big Finance supports a new climate threat
Bitcoin mining has grown into a big commercial industry dominated by publicly traded companies that operate large-scale mining facilities that often use as much electricity as a small city. In…
-
Mining for power: connection between Bitcoin miners, corporate interest groups, and climate deniers
Introduction Greenpeace USA research reveals how the Bitcoin mining industry is interconnected with the fossil fuel and other polluting industry groups and climate denialists that oppose needed action to address…
-
Polluting Bitcoin mines come to rural Georgia
Cleanspark’s Bitcoin boom in rural Georgia, backed by Wall Street giants, raises environmental and social concerns challenging the promised benefits to rural communities.
-
Riot Platforms: The Company Behind the Most Energy Intensive Bitcoin Mine in the U.S.
Summary Riot Platforms is leading the polluting Bitcoin boom in Texas. The company operates the largest, and one of most energy and carbon-intensive, Bitcoin mines in the U.S. at their…
-
Investing In Bitcoin’s Climate Pollution
Bitcoin consumes as much electricity as entire countries, and 62% of the electricity used for Bitcoin mining globally in 2022 came from fossil fuels. Bitcoin’s energy-hungry technology has revived decommissioned…
-
Financial Institutions Need to Support a Code Change to Cleanup Bitcoin
Introduction “Humanity is on thin ice — and that ice is melting fast…Our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once.” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio…