"The computers used to create valuable new Bitcoin tokens and validate transactions consume around the same amount of energy as a medium-sized country such as Sweden would generate. Hence the stinging critique of how this cryptocurrency wastes the planet’s precious resources." — Ian Birrell

Is it true that Bitcoin only wastes energy and is the sole purview of financial gambling and speculation in the western world, or are there boots on the ground showing the real results of the "pioneer species" thesis we've recently covered?

What if Bitcoin is bringing both financial independence, and electricity, those those with no other viable options?

This is a great article explaining this.

The African village mining Bitcoin

The cryptocurrency can be a liberating force

https://unherd.com/2024/01/the-african-village-mining-bitcoin/