The virtual 7th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum was jointly hosted by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan and the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network with the theme “Enabling Resilience for All: The Critical Decade to Scale-up Action.” The forum took place in March and was held to formulate national adaptation planning for science and technology, and energy and fiscal policies that consider the interlinkages between climate change, health and biodiversity. These nature- and ecosystem-based policies will serve as the basis for the Asia-Pacific region’s contributions to the Leaders Summit on Climate in the United States; the United Nations Biodiversity …
Mike Colyer, CEO of Foundry Digital — a crypto mining subsidiary of Digital Currency Group — believes mining Bitcoin could eventually help the world transition to green energy. Speaking at the Crypto Mining Forum online event on Tuesday, Colyer said he believes that as major energy companies see the economic benefits of mining cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), it may lead to a restructuring of both capital and operations. Calling Bitcoin mining "a great stabilizer" for the power grid, the Foundry Digital CEO said the technology could become a "bridge between the current energy production and a world where 100% of …
A group of more than 20 firms comprising crypto, finance, technology, energy, and nongovernmental organizations has banded together to focus on the environmental impact of cryptocurrency. In an announcement on Thursday, the Crypto Climate Accord — reportedly inspired by the 195-signatory Paris Climate Agreement — said it aims to address the "large and growing energy consumption of cryptocurrency and blockchain, and the climate impact of their energy use." Launched by nonprofits Energy Web Foundation, the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Alliance for Innovative Regulation, the group’s partners include high-profile firms in the crypto space like blockchain-based payments company Ripple, Canadian …
United Kingdom-based Bitcoin (BTC) mining firm Argo Blockchain just recorded the best quarter in its history, generating record revenues for three months straight. Yet despite the burgeoning cryptocurrency mining venture emerging in the west, the vast majority of Bitcoin production still takes place in China, where cheap, coal-powered electricity fuels an untold number of mining rigs. A recent report by Nature.com revealed that as much as 75% of Bitcoin mining takes place in China — news which must fall hard on the ears of Shark Tank and Dragon’s Den investor Kevin O’Leary, who recently labeled all Bitcoin mined with the …
Shark Tank and Dragon’s Den personality Kevin O’Leary is taking a stand against what he terms “blood coin,” that being Bitcoin (BTC) mined in China. The investor declared that he would only deal with “clean coin” — coins mined using renewable energy — from now on and suggested other institutions were starting to do the same. O’Leary took aim at the free-wheeling nature of Bitcoin production by pointing out that most other products in the world are manufactured according to institutional and regulatory compliance standards. O’Leary said, during an interview with CNBC: “We have compliance on large institutions, we have …
Concerns about energy production, resource consumption and its impact on the environment are one of the dominant topics of debate on the global stage. The intensive energy costs of mining Bitcoin and other proof-of-work cryptocurrencies are also frequently pointed to as a serious downside to the emerging asset class. While environmental concerns and the cost to reward debate rages on, there is one group of cryptocurrency projects that has the goal of bringing blockchain technology to the global energy grids as a way to encourage renewable energy generation through a flexible marketplace that connects energy buyers and sellers. Three energy-focused …
Asahi’s Australian lager beer subsidiary Victoria Bitter has taken a step toward sustainability by allowing customers to earn a pint with solar energy via blockchain. According to a Wednesday announcement, Victoria Bitter has partnered with major blockchain energy firm Power Ledger to unlock a new program allowing participants to exchange excess solar energy for slabs of beer. “The only thing better than drinking the Big Cold Beer in the Aussie sun is earning beer while you do it. Plus it’s a real win-win for beer lovers and the environment,” Victoria Bitter’s general manager of marketing Brian Phan said. The new …
The majority of Bitcoin (BTC) is mined outside of the United States using “dirty energy,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has claimed. Suarez discussed the environmental implications of Bitcoin mining in a March 26 episode of the Unconfirmed podcast with cryptocurrency journalist Laura Shin. The mayor said that the U.S. should mine more Bitcoin for to national security reasons. “A part of the problem with Bitcoin is 90% of it is not done in the United States. 90% of it is done in countries that have dirty energy. So that’s the reason why it’s considered to be a dirty activity,” Suarez …
The seventh session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development convened earlier this month with the theme “Building forward better: Towards a resilient and green Africa to achieve the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063” and to promote the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, pointed out that developing a just, fair economic model that embraces green and renewable energy, resilient infrastructure, and digitalization — while protecting natural resources by broadening partnerships for science, technology and innovation — could unleash the region’s green potential and fuel economic transformation. UNECA’s digital …
Norweigan energy service provider Aker Solutions is spinning up a new business dedicated to Bitcoin (BTC) after its CEO, Kjell Inge Røkke, talked up the importance of the digital asset in a recent shareholder letter. On Monday, Aker announced that it had established Seetee — a crypto-focused investment company that seeks to tap into the Bitcoin ecosystem. The spin-off company has been allocated $59 million, or 500 million Norwegian kroner, which Aker says will “increase significantly over time as we gain experience and identify exciting opportunities.” The company explained: “Aker’s decision to enter Bitcoin through Seetee is the result of …
Automobile makers everywhere are betting big on electric vehicles as the world begins to push for environmentally friendly modes of transportation. For example, while fewer than 1% of cars on the roads in the United States today are electric, a number of automobile manufacturers are aiming to change this by stopping sales of gasoline-powered cars. At the end of January 2021, General Motors said it would stop selling gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035. In addition, automakers such as Tesla, Ford, Volkswagen and even Porsche have announced plans to introduce new electric models in the coming years. At the same …
One of the biggest debates taking place on a global scale relates to energy production and the integration of renewable energy sources into an electrical grid dominated by carbon-based fuels and nuclear power. Energy Web Token (EWT) is one project that is growing in popularity as it aims to integrate blockchain technology into the energy sector. The project also plans to help with application development and it is creating a decentralized energy exchange. Data from Cointelegraph Markets and TradingView shows that the price of EWT increased 65% from a low of $11.38 on Feb. 28 to a new all-time high …