Featured Image Credit: YouTube
Topics: Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, Environment, Climate Change
Joe Yates
A viral clip showing the sheer scale of one of the world’s largest Bitcoin mines has left the internet seething, with many branding the operation a 'disgrace'.
The footage, which has been circulating widely online, gives viewers a look inside a vast Bitcoin-mining data center packed wall-to-wall with servers.
While some were impressed by the size of the set-up, more were furious due to the massive amount of energy required to keep it running.
Redditors didn’t hold back.
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"It’s a f***ing disgrace this exists," one user blasted.
Another described it as a 'huge waste of energy', as one rather ironically typed: "This is why we can’t have nice things."
While another quipped: "Meanwhile, I'm turning the lounge light off when I leave the room to have a p**s!"
The outrage comes amid renewed scrutiny of large-scale Bitcoin mining, particularly in the US.
One of the most prominent examples is the enormous Bitcoin-mining facility in Rockdale, Texas, operated by Riot Platforms.
The site has previously made headlines after heat-seeking satellite images revealed how much heat the data center leaks into its surrounding environment.
Those images were released by UK-based company SatVu, whose thermal satellites can detect heat signatures at a resolution of just 11.5 feet.
While SatVu didn’t officially confirm the facility’s identity, Rockdale is home to what’s widely considered the largest Bitcoin mine in the country.
The numbers alone are enough to raise eyebrows, with the operation reportedly consuming around 700 megawatts of power - roughly the same amount of electricity needed to supply around 300,000 homes.
Professor Benjamin Jones of University of New Mexico's economics school has previously spoke about how damaging Bitcoin mining is to the planet.
"We find no evidence that Bitcoin mining is becoming more sustainable over time," he explained.
“Rather, our results suggest the opposite: Bitcoin mining is becoming dirtier and more damaging to the climate over time.
"In short, Bitcoin’s environmental footprint is moving in the wrong direction.”
Professor Jones also claimed that on occasion, the cost to the environment is greater than the value of what a Bitcoin is actually worth.
He explained: “Globally, the mining, or production, of Bitcoin is using tremendous amounts of electricity, mostly from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. This is causing huge amounts of air pollution and carbon emissions, which is negatively impacting our global climate and our health."
“We find several instances between 2016-2021 where Bitcoin is more damaging to the climate than a single Bitcoin is actually worth.
"Put differently, Bitcoin mining, in some instances, creates climate damages in excess of a coin’s value. This is extremely troubling from a sustainability perspective.”