Bitcoin mining uses the same amount of energy as Argentina, while laptops need a ton of material: “to manufacture a typical laptop weighing 4.4 pounds, almost a ton of materials is needed, about 1,760 pounds”
https://english.elpais.com/climate/2024-08-20/bitcoin-mining-uses-the-same-amount-of-energy-as-argentina-while-laptops-need-a-ton-of-material.html
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Digitalization leaves a mark, even if it is invisible. To manufacture a typical laptop weighing 4.4 pounds, almost a ton of materials is needed, about 1,760 pounds. The extraction of these resources leaves an even bigger footprint. Two million liters of water are needed to extract one ton of lithium, the basic material for today’s batteries.
And then there are the other activities linked to these products. For example, global energy consumption of bitcoin mining increased 34-fold between 2015 and 2023, reaching 121 terra-watt hours (TWh) of energy annually — the equivalent of what is consumed by a country like Argentina. That’s according to the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) experts, which warns of these issues in its [Digital Economy Report 2024](https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/der2024_en.pdf).
Now how much energy is used by human stupidity? Banks? Stockmarkets? Overpopulation? Know your propaganda.
The future is digital, this is a sign of things to come. It’s not going away, despite the noise.
One laptop battery typically contains up to 6-8 grams of lithium which adds up to 12ml-16ml of water by the water per tonne of lithium figure below.
About 1 thousandth of the water consumption per single California Almond when compared to a laptop battery in other words.
I’m all for getting better at making durable, upgradable and repairable devices to shrink our footprint as a species but to do so would best be solved by defining standards that encourage or force the design and manufacturing of such devices.
If end consumers truly cared about the environmental impact, Apple would have been worth 1 millionth of what they are today with their current lineup of products.
{Last paragraph of the article}
*[A former researcher with UNCTAD] wants* ***technology companies*** *to be more transparent, arguing they prevent oversight, monitoring and the application of corrective measures. “Cyberspace has a limit with respect to the planet’s natural resources; it is completely dependent on mining, on the entire periodic table. The* ***large multinationals*** *know this, but they are not acting sufficiently to correct it, despite the solutions from the point of view of technological maturity,” he says. “These* ***large technology corporations*** *are profiting, they are monetizing the Anthropocene [geological epoch marked by the global impact of human activities].”*
This was really bad writing. If you read only the opening paragraphs, you’d think there’s we need to solve laptop production to stop bitcoin mining and related energy consumption.
This is an oversimplification of a complex issue. Bitcoin mining uses a lot of energy, no question. Now, an estimated 40-75% of it comes from renewable energy. Some argue it actually helps develop the renewable energy market. Does mining deprive others of electricity? Another complex issue. Probably in some cases, but there is also a lot of wasted energy caused by overproduction (especially in renewable) and other inefficiencies. But this very clickbait title still works every time.
More resources and more energy per capita is the measuring of the human progress. In the future, we will require complete planet size resources to keep people living in space.
A ton of material goes into a 4 pound laptop? Is the other 99% just waste? Because that statement makes zero sense.
Now if it was a Plumbus I would understand…
What does any of that have to do with each other? You don’t mine bitcoin on a laptop. What about an iPhone? How about X other product? It’s just picking and choosing what to be mad about