The very famous organization Greenpeace, working to protect the environment, has again attacked Bitcoin (BTC). The campaign, called “change the code, not the climate” is relaunched and still aims to encourage Bitcoin developers to move to Proof Of Stake.
Greenpeace creates a new mascot for Bitcoiners
It’s no longer a surprise: Greenpeace does not adhere to Proof Of Work. The environmental organization demonstrated this once again this Thursday, March 23, through a new artwork highlighting the impact of the Bitcoin Protocol (BTC) on the climate.
To do this, Greenpeace has partnered with art activist Benjamin Von Wong. He built a 3.3 meter high skull, called “Skull of Satoshi”, with the BTC logo and red laser eyes, a popular meme in the community.
Some climate activists think Bitcoin is just fake internet money they can safely ignore.
The truth? Bitcoin is causing dangerous amounts of real-world pollution from its ravenous consumption of fossil fuels, all due to its outdated code.
The solution? ChangeTheCode pic.twitter.com/7wa7BMCzV5
– Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) March 23, 2023
It seems that the skull is made from recycled electronic waste. It is also topped with smoking nuclear power plant chimneys, certainly symbolizing the pollution associated with the energy consumption of Bitcoin and the mining machines.
The piece is clearly an attack on the Proof Of Work and Bitcoin’s followers. However, the result was somewhat unexpected, as many community members expressed their admiration for the artwork, with some already adopting it as a new mascot, such as Will Foxley, Chief Strategy Officer of Compass Mining, or Nic Carter, co-founder of Coin Metrics.
The eternal debate of energy consumption
The Greenpeace campaign was launched more than a year ago, alongside other climate organizations. It also brings together personalities from the Web3 ecosystem, including the co-founder of Ripple, Chris Larsen.
It is called “Change the Code, Not the Climate” and aims to pressure Bitcoin developers, miners and the government to move Bitcoin from proof of work to proof of stake. Despite more than $1 million invested in the campaign, Greenpeace still seems to have a long way to go and this new initiative is a testament to that.
The topic of Bitcoin’s energy consumption is an old debate that has been going on for several years now. Much used by crypto-currency detractors, this argument has however been brushed aside many times by experts: far from being a time bomb for the planet, Bitcoin can on the contrary be a solution to environmental problems.
Contrary to popular belief, Bitcoin can be used to develop renewable and environmentally friendly energy. For example, miners are increasingly setting up shop near hydroelectric power plants to exploit (at lower cost) the surplus consumption of green electricity. These initiatives could be the subject of an entire article, as they are so numerous.
