The water and carbon footprint of cryptocurrencies and conventional currencies
The water and carbon footprint of cryptocurrencies and conventional currencies
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加密货币和传统货币的水和碳足迹
DOI：
10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137268
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发表时间：
2023
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Marston, Landon T.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Siddik, Md Abu;Amaya, Maria;Marston, Landon T.
与传统的法定货币相比，加密货币在金融交易中所占的比例虽小，但仍在不断增长。加密货币的快速增长引起了人们对这种能源密集型货币对环境影响的担忧。在这项研究中，评估了与加密货币相关的水和碳足迹。然后将这些环境足迹与传统货币相关的水和碳足迹进行比较，这是这项研究的新颖之处。在比较这些系统时，对每个金融系统的能源最密集的方面进行了空间精细、自下而上的分析。具体来说，印钞、银行分行、自动柜员机 (ATM) 和无现金交易的能源使用在国家层面进行评估，并与世界各地加密货币挖矿的能源使用进行比较。尽管加密货币在全球无现金金融交易中所占比例不到 0.5%，但 2021 年加密货币的用电量为 236 × 106 兆瓦时 (MWh)，超过了传统交易系统的用电量。就水足迹而言，加密货币每年的用水量为 3670 × 106 立方米 (m3)。加密货币的水足迹是传统货币的两倍多，因为加密货币挖矿发生在电力用水强度较高的国家。据估计，加密货币挖矿活动还导致全球温室气体排放量接近 139 × 106 吨二氧化碳当量 (CO2-eq)。虽然加密货币只占金融交易的一小部分，但其对环境的影响却比传统的金融交易系统大得多。这项研究展示了监管变化（例如 2021 年中国的加密货币挖矿禁令）和加密货币挖矿地点如何对与加密货币相关的环境足迹产生影响。
When compared to traditional fiat currencies, cryptocurrencies represent a small, but growing, fraction of financial transactions. The rapid growth of cryptocurrencies has raised concerns regarding the environmental impact of this energy-intensive type of currency. In this study, water and carbon footprints associated with cryptocurrencies are assessed. These environmental footprints are then compared to the water and carbon footprints associated with conventional currencies, which is a novelty of this study. A spatially refined, bottom-up analysis of the most energy-intensive aspects of each financial system is used in the comparison of these systems. Specifically, the energy use for printing money, bank branches, automated teller machines (ATM), and cashless transactions is evaluated at the country level and compared to the energy use of crypto mining around the world. Cryptocurrencies’ electricity use of 236 × 106megawatt hours (MWh) in 2021 surpassed that of the conventional transaction system, despite cryptocurrencies representing less than 0.5% of global cashless financial transactions. In terms of its water footprint, cryptocurrencies have an annual water consumption of 3670 × 106cubic meters (m3). Cryptocurrencies' water footprint is more than double that of conventional currencies because crypto mining takes place in countries with higher water intensities for electricity. Crypto mining activities are also estimated to result in almost 139 × 106tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) of global greenhouse gas emissions. While cryptocurrencies represent a small percentage of financial transactions, their environmental impact is much larger than the conventional financial transaction system. This study shows how regulatory changes, such as the 2021 crypto mining ban in China, and crypto mining location can have implications on the environmental footprint associated with cryptocurrency.
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