Bitcoin Mining's Massive Water Use Raises Environmental Concerns
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Bitcoin mining uses 4,227 gallons of fresh water per transaction, enough to fill a swimming pool. This could cause water shortages if Bitcoin is more widely adopted.
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In the US, Bitcoin's annual water consumption is 93.5-120 gigalitres, equal to ~300,000 households. Most mining occurs in Texas.
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Bitcoin mining in Kazakhstan could face a 997.9 gigalitre freshwater shortage by 2030 as operations shift there after China's ban.
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Solutions include using non-water cooling methods for servers, switching power stations to non-freshwater sources, and legislation requiring disclosure of crypto's environmental impact.
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In comparison, Ethereum has reduced power use by modifying its software, but the Bitcoin community is reluctant to make changes.