So much wasted energy! – The company behind the Firefox internet browser, Mozilla, is trying to appease its environmentally conscious community. Mozilla has decided to start accepting proof-of-stake (PoS) based cryptos again. Despite the green use cases of mining, an outcry against Bitcoin had forced it to suspend donations earlier this year. Indeed, the company initially halted all crypto donations in January. She finally has them reopened after a period of community sentiment assessment. This time frame also allowed the company to conduct research on the use of energy by cryptocurrencies.
Unlike Ethereum Mozilla is already moving to Proof of Stake
Mozilla announced in a blog post that after research, the company is changing its donation policies. Thus, the company intends to comply with its “climate commitments”. The company said that: “Mozilla will no longer accept ‘proof of work (PoW)’ cryptocurrencies that consume more power. »
“Proof of work cryptocurrencies can significantly increase our GHG footprint due to their energy-intensive nature. »
Statement from Mozilla
The company also said that this decision was made on the basis of its climate commitments. She imposed them on herself in January 2021. The company’s ecological commitments aim to “significantly reduce the greenhouse gas footprint year after year”. And this, until it becomes carbon neutral.
“Mozilla’s decision not to accept proof-of-work (PoW) donations ensures that our fundraising activities remain aligned with our emissions commitment.»
Mozilla, Twitter.
By rejecting all non-PoS cryptos, Mozilla blocks Bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency by market cap. Until it is upgraded in the coming months (crypto will switch to PoS), this decision also concerns Ether (ETH).
The company said it would release a list of accepted cryptocurrencies by the end of the second quarter of 2022. Mozilla now accepts certain native cryptos from the most popular PoS blockchains. The list however includes BNB, Solana (SOL) and Avalanche (AVAX).
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Bitcoin Critics Delighted
Among the most vocal critics of Mozilla’s crypto donation policy was Mozilla founder Jamie Zawinski. He tweeted on January 4 that Mozilla’s accomplices regarding the acceptance of Bitcoin “should be ashamed” to associate with “ponzi scammers who incinerate the planet”. However, Jamie Zawinski left Mozilla in 1999.
Gabor Gurbacs, the director of digital strategy at US investment firm VanEck, strongly criticized Mozilla’s decision to block Bitcoin donations. In a tweet, he called the decision ” misguided”. He further added that “Bitcoin is one of the greenest industries there is”.
Bitcoin consumes annually approximately 204.5 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy according to data from blockchain researchers at Digiconomist. The actual effect on the climate is therefore rightly disputed. Proponents of the world’s first crypto claim that miners who secure the network help strengthen energy networks. Also, they seek improve carbon efficiency. Operations, meanwhile, are increasingly turning to renewable energy.
Indeed, flexible data centers can be used for Bitcoin mining. These flexible data centers can switch between self-generated green power and the public grid to reduce overall environmental impact.
Mozilla seems to be unaware of “green” use cases for bitcoin mining. Indeed, some cities want to recover “lost energy” to heat the fireplaces. Others use the power from their ASICs to heat their swimming pool. More recently, crypto storage company Blockstream and Jack Dorsey’s bitcoin development company Block announced that they would be working with Elon Musk’s Tesla venture to build a solar-powered bitcoin mining facility in Texas.
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