Bitcoin Could Be Zero Carbon Emissions Network, As Long As…

A pro-Bitcoin mining report from self-proclaimed philanthropist Daniel Batten has claimed that Bitcoin can become a zero-emissions network.

This report is based on data from the Bitcoin Mining Council to understand the impact of carbon negative energy sources on Bitcoin's overall carbon footprint (BTC). After investigation and extrapolation of the results, he claims to then “predict when the entire Bitcoin network will become zero emission network.”

But how does the network become carbon-negative? Simply put, by burning stranded methane gas to mine the BTC that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere. The study found that this process, which has taken place worldwide, reduced grid emissions by 63%.

“THAT MEANS 1.57% OF THE BITCOIN NETWORK USING CARBON-NEGATIVE SOURCES HAVE A -4.2% IMPACT ON THE CARBON INTENSITY OF THE BITCOIN NETWORK.”

The study uses data from various gas flare BTC miners, including Crusoe Energy in Colorado, Jai Energy in Wyoming and Arthur Mining in Brazil. It also touches on miners who use waste gas from animal waste, such as the one in Slovakia, to illustrate that Bitcoin mining can have a positive impact on the environment by preventing the emission of harmful methane gas.

While central bankers and mainstream media continue to denounce Bitcoin's energy-intensive mining process, it appears mining could be a viable route to reducing emissions.

According to a report from the United Nations, “Cutting methane is the strongest lever we have to slow climate change over the next 25 years.”

By eliminating the burning of gas or biogas emissions from animal waste, Bitcoin miners around the world are working towards a zero-emissions goal.

Cointelegraph reporter Joe Hall interviewed a Northern Irish farmer who recently started testing Bitcoin mining.

Owen, the farmer, told Cointelegraph that mining Bitcoin using agricultural waste emits biogas which, if left untreated, rises into the atmosphere, making “sensible.”

Owen partnered with Scilling Digital Mining, an Irish company looking for renewable energy to use in Bitcoin mining. In a nod to further adoption across Ireland, Mark Morton, managing director at Scilling, told Cointelegraph:

“Daniel [Batten] has done a phenomenal job demonstrating the methane capture capabilities of Bitcoin mining. The praise for this no-fuss energy consumer is just getting started, and Irish farmers could be the next big adopters of this incredible technology."

Morton added that “Bitcoin mining will be a catalyst for the widespread adoption of small-scale off-grid anaerobic digestion leading to less agricultural waste, more decentralized network hash rates, and lower agricultural emissions.”

Agriculture is responsible for a third of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions, so capturing waste gases from agriculture can not only clean up the polluting agricultural industry but also generate additional income through mined BTC.

Batten, the report's author, is an environmentalist who devotes his time to researching Bitcoin and energy consumption. Prior to advocating for the environment through Bitcoin mining, Batten was a philanthropist and venture capitalist.