Bitcoin isn't only a vital instrument to renewable energy projects it is perfectly suited to convert methane into things 20 X less harmful.
China, the United States, Russia, India, Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Mexico are estimated to be responsible for nearly half of all anthropogenic methane emissions. The major methane emission sources for these countries vary greatly. For example, a key source of methane emissions in China is coal production, whereas Russia emits most of its methane from natural gas and oil systems. The largest sources of methane emissions from human activities in the United States are oil and gas systems, livestock enteric fermentation, and landfills.
There's room to expand mining in Oil and Gas, Landfills and other places where methane is leaking.
Reminder: leaking methane is 20 TIMES worse than carbon dioxide at causing global warming. So theoretically Bitcoin miners can decrease global warming by almost 20 times if they burn "flare gas" and other methane sources that aren't easily mitigated. https://www.epa.gov/natural-gas-star-program/primary-sources-methane-emissions
Bitcoin miners have been thinking along these lines(Foundry.com etc) and are already lined up in the oilfields and mining on methane. Thankfully for our planet.
Carbon accounting done right. Website
https://www.climatetrace.org
Ted talk
https://youtu.be/zaTH7LnyCdE
I'm disappointed they don't seem to go after accounting for loans for purchasing hydrocarbon-burning vehicles, but otherwise this looks very informative, and they do disclaim that scope 3 is omitted which allows for some future improvement in the analysis.
The Global Emissions of the US Financial Sector
US banks and asset managers are financing climate breakdown. Research by the Center for American Progress and the Sierra Club, with research by South Pole, shows that by continuing to finance the fossil fuel industry, the US financial sector is responsible for more emissions than most countries.Download the report
