• Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 year ago

    I mean, yeah, it’s bad. We shouldn’t be ignoring how bad bitcoin is for the environment.

    But are you really gonna tell me that all the computers and CPU time that Wall Street uses for trading somehow takes less?

    It doesn’t matter what financial system you use, you’re still burning energy to make it work.

    • zeppo@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      As far as transactions, yes, something like Visa takes way less than Bitcoin. For HFT compared to crypto, who knows, but one thing they’re not doing is something intentionally wasteful like proof of work.

      • Mubelotix@jlai.lu
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        1 year ago

        You think having thousands of bankers use their car twice a day is better? It’s so much worse

    • TheMurphy@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The computer power behind the financial system is literally insane. But if everything changed to Bitcoin, we would use more energy.

      What COULD be beneficial would be one of the other coins out there. Doesn’t have to be Bitcoin.

      • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        1 year ago

        I guess my point had less to do with cryptocurrency and more to do with currency in general. It’s not a defense of bitcoin as much as it’s a critique of how much energy the system in general uses, either way.

        However, it’s also one that’s not easily solved. Even with paper/coin money, you’re still using finite resources to produce the bank-notes.