i hope people understand that the ecological cost of crypto is not an ‘unfortunate side effect’ but is instead the very means by which it claims value at all

proof of work- which, despite lots of talk of alternatives is the only schema in place at scale- places a direct lien against the future. it is a luxury good- it says, i will burn this resource for no reason except to turn it into an investment.

this investment's financial return depends on this good being harder to make in the future- which in a digital context means an artificial scarcity made by demanding more energy, more resources lost- a pyramid scheme that requires ever more power to continue to operate and return

*this* is why crypto is valuable. there is nothing high-tech about it. there is no miracle. it simply abstracts resources into a market by making those resources unavailable to the future

when i bring this up, inevitably someone says "but what about cars?" or "what about artists who fly to art fairs? whats their carbon footprint like??" as if its a gotcha that it might not be the very worst evil around

but you can't use your crypto lifestyle as an offset- "i don't drive so it's okay!" to do so is to loan your power to a worldview that has doubled down on worth being tied to completed labor and spent physical resources. if that is the value system we are building, we are doomed.

the only option is to reject this whole-cloth. there is no "my rig is solar!" or "we plant a tree for every coin!"

the current ecological cost of crypto is real and massive, but the value system it creates is reprehensible and will do far, far worse. we cannot let it get there.