“Bitcoin requires water like 660,000 swimming pools”

Bitcoin was once the money of criminals – today even Wall Street wants to invest. A prejudice that persists more stubbornly: Bitcoin is an environmental mess. Although there is now a lot of research that proves the opposite, ignorance still prevails among the general population.

The reason for this are questionable studies and biased campaigns. Together with the United Nations (UN), the so-called American Geophysical Union (AGU) has published a study that identifies the supposed “hidden costs of Bitcoin mining for the environment”. Media like Spiegel reflect the content of the study: “Bitcoin requires as much water as 660,000 sports swimming pools,” it says. There are no words lost about the advantages of Bitcoin mining. The demand: regulate Bitcoin mining more strictly, while proof-of-stake networks should be further developed. But what are the results of the study?