How much does bitcoin pollute?

As we all know by now, the blockchain system must use a large amount of energy to work. This has not negligible environmental impact, but how much is it?

How much energy does the bitcoin blockchain consume?

To understand how much it pollutes, we need to understand how much energy the bitcoin blockchain consumes.

Obviously it is impossible to know exactly the exact consumption, but estimates can be made that are very close to reality. According to an estimate by Digiconomist (a famous cryptocurrency website that I recommend you visit) a single transaction in the bitcoin network would consume as much as the energy use of an average American family for 75 days! 2190.05 kWh! At the year 204.50 TWh, which is comparable to the energy consumption of Thailand.

How much CO2 does bitcoin emit?

Again according to an estimate by Digiconomist, 1221.52 kgCO2 per day that is equivalent to the carbon footprint of 2,707,319 VISA transactions or 203,587 hours of Youtube viewing. A year, on the other hand, the environmental footprint is 114.06 Mt CO2, comparable to the Czech Republic.