This review study stresses the necessity for regulation and a shift towards more sustainable mining methods
Mining used in cryptocurrency consumes massive amounts of electricity, often sourced from non-renewable resources like coal power, leading to significant carbon emissions and air pollution. Air pollution poses serious risks to public health, impacting almost every organ system and has been connected to higher overall mortality rates.
A comprehensive review led by Heresh Amini, PhD, MSc, Associate Professor of Environmental Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Shali Tayebi at the University of Copenhagen, indicates that without a shift to more sustainable practices, such as adopting renewable energy sources and transitioning to less resource-intensive mechanisms, the industry’s impact on both the environment and human health will likely worsen. The authors call for global regulatory interventions to mitigate these pressing issues, emphasizing the urgent need for the cryptocurrency industry to reconcile its innovative potential with the imperatives of environmental sustainability and public health.
“Our research shows that cryptocurrency mining can have harmful environmental effects due to its resource-heavy procedures,” said Dr. Amini. “It further underscores the pressing need for worldwide regulation and a shift to more eco-friendly consensus methods, like Proof-of-Stake, to lessen the industry’s impact on public health,” Amini added.
Featured Scientist:
Heresh Amini, PhD, MSc, Associate Professor, Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai