SHOW NOTES:
https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/podcast/bitcoins-clean-energy-revolution

Nic Carter is a Partner at Castle Island Ventures, and Troy Cross is a Fellow at the Bitcoin Policy Institute. In this interview, we discuss Bitcoin mining as an ESG offset and how Bitcoin miners could be the frontier of energy development whilst helping nations attain energy sovereignty.

THIS EPISODE’S SPONSORS:
Gemini - https://www.gemini.com/
BlockFi - https://blockfi.com/peter
Sportsbet.io - https://sportsbet.io/?ref=wbd
Casa - https://keys.casa/?pk_campaign=wbd-yearly-sponsor&pk_medium=sponsorship&pk_source=what-bitcoin-did
Ledger - https://www.ledger.com/
Compass Mining - https://compassmining.io/
BCB Group - https://hubs.ly/Q011cb730
LVL - https://www.lvl.co/wbd

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:09:04 Bitcoin mining as an ESG offset
00:19:29 Energy carbon intensity
00:29:22 Bitcoin miners & energy sources
00:41:18 Climate scepticism, moral accounting
00:53:58 Bitcoin miners on the energy frontier
01:07:11 Being energy sovereign
01:20:50 What can we do?

WHERE TO FIND THE SHOW:
→ My website: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/podcast/
→ iTunes: https://apple.co/2OOlzVV
→ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2ygc4W1
→ Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2IQO8fX
→ SoundCloud: https://bit.ly/2CGSVQR
→ YouTube: https://bit.ly/3nyi9Ez
→ TuneIn: https://bit.ly/2ywystr

LISTEN TO OLD EPISODES:
→ By guest: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/guests/
→ By topic: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/topics/
→ Transcriptions: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/transcriptions/

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
→ https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/sponsorship/
→ Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/whatbitcoindid/
→ Subscribe on iTunes
→ Leave a review on iTunes
→ Share the show out with your friends and family on social media
→ Drop me a line on hello@whatbitcoindid.com

WHERE TO FOLLOW ME:
→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatbitcoindid/
→ Medium: https://medium.com/@whatbitcoindid/
→ Instagram: http://instagram.com/whatbitcoindid/
→ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatbitcoindid/
→ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/whatbitcoindidpodcast
→ Website: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/
→ Email list: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/subscribe/

LEARN ABOUT BITCOIN:
→ Step by Step Guide: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/beginners-guide
→ Training: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/training/
→ Resources: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/resources/

****

“The best new idea I’ve come across… it’s a market-based, voluntary, bottom-up mechanism to resolve individual qualms around sustainability relating to ownership of bitcoin.”
— Nic Carter

Nic Carter is a Partner at Castle Island Ventures, and Troy Cross is a Fellow at the Bitcoin Policy Institute. In this interview, we discuss Bitcoin mining as an ESG offset and how Bitcoin miners could be the frontier of energy development whilst helping nations attain energy sovereignty.

- - - -

The two extremes of the climate change debate are engaged in a zero-sum game.

For some, the existential threat of climate change requires humans to rapidly transition to energy production 100% derived from renewable sources. A particular contingent believes a transition is required by force: a carbon tax to dissuade investment in fossil fuels and a degrowth agenda to enable society to prioritise the use of more limited but sustainable energy sources.

The counterargument is that catastrophic climate change isn't inevitable. Therefore, whilst there are insufficient cost-effective and reliable renewable energy sources, constraining the use of fossil fuels is a dangerous dogma that risks preventing vast swathes of the world from being able to escape poverty.

Does the argument need to be this binary? Is there an alternative that uses the power of the market rather than relying on coercive measures?

If we assume that if energy sources were equally cost-effective and reliable, the obvious choice would be to invest in those that are renewable and that have the lowest negative impacts. The issue would then be how do you make renewable energy cost-effective and reliable. The answer is counterintuitive: meet what those who promote fossil fuels want - facilitate energy abundance.

Troy Cross thinks this is how Bitcoin can help bridge the divide, enable a rapid transition to renewable sources, whilst ensuring the world's population can flourish.