Destroying mother Gaia: SUV's, Airconditioners, and...bitcoin?

UK Guardian article from Nov 26, 2017 discusses the energy use by smartphones and other modern computers.

A desktop PC running eight hours a day, for example, emits 175kg of CO2 in a year. So you can imagine the carbon footprint of a large city office block that has thousands of desktop PCs running for the whole of a working day. Multiply that by all the office blocks in the centre of London and you get an idea of the environmental impact of even the humble PC.

But the most spectacular illustration of computing’s environmental cost comes not from offices but from the current craze for the cryptocurrency bitcoin... According to one estimate, bitcoin mining is now consuming more electricity than 159 countries, including Ireland, Bahrain and the Slovak Republic.

UKGuardian also has an article on bitcoin here.

more here at AlJ.

everything is wonderful, but why does this make me wonder WTF it will mean for crooks?

while Bitcoin is actively traded on dedicated exchange websites and apps, a few traditional banks and exchange operators have also started to sell cryptocurrencies.South Korea, among others, is considering a ban on trading with virtual cryptocurrency operators that are not regulated by local authorities.
Here are some of the traditional banks and exchange operators that allow you to buy Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Switzerland
In August 2017, the Falcon Private Bank announced that it was the first Swiss private bank to provide blockchain asset management for its clients.
The Swiss bank headquartered in Zurich allows its clients to trade in Bitcoin (XBT), Etheruem (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH).
The Swissquote bank based in Gland, also started trading in cryptocurrencies in 2017.
Customers of the bank can trade in Bitcoin, Etheruem, Litecoin, Ripple (XRP) and Bitcoin Cash.
IG Bank started trading with cryptocurrencies in 2017. Customers can use it to buy Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.

and then there is this: HMMM.... godsend to crooks, drug dealer, smugglers, and others who want to hide their loot:

Villi Iltchev

✔@VilliSpeaks

The ability to take $1M or $100M on a plane undetected and walk into a Swiss or Lichtenstein bank and deposit it is worth a ton of $$$. So, don’t tell me Bitcoin is worthless.

3:54 AM - Dec 17, 2017 · San Francisco, CA

•  3838 Replies
 
•  288288 Retweets
 
•  897897 likes

Twitter Ads info and privacy

and then: What happens if there is an EMP or solar flare that destroys computers? Bitcoin sites insist no problem, since they are decentralized.

don't ask me... I'm a doctor not a cattle futures expert. (warning: NSFW site).

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