Bitcoin News and Finance
Cambridge Study Unveils Ethereum’s Environmental Impact Post-Merge, Highlighting Major Energy Reduction Skip to main content

Cambridge Study Unveils Ethereum’s Environmental Impact Post-Merge, Highlighting Major Energy Reduction

Cambridge Study Unveils Ethereum's Environmental Impact Post-Merge, Highlighting Major Energy Reduction

The transformation of the Ethereum network, popularly known as ‘The Merge,’ marked a significant shift in the blockchain’s energy usage and climate impact. A detailed report by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) meticulously dissects this journey, offering invaluable insights into Ethereum’s historical and current ecological footprint. This transition, deeply rooted in environmental considerations, demonstrates a pivotal change in the digital asset ecosystem.

Ethereum’s Environmental Footprint Transformed, Says CCAF Report

Before The Merge, Ethereum’s proof-of-work (PoW) mechanism demanded considerable energy, largely due to the computational intensity of mining processes. This phase, while essential for the network’s security and integrity, raised environmental concerns due to its high energy consumption. The latest CCAF report highlights this period as a critical phase in understanding Ethereum’s total environmental impact. The CCAF’s previous article on the subject did not include geographical distribution

“In a previous article (April 2023), we introduced our work on Ethereum’s pre-Merge electricity consumption,” CCAF research lead Alexander Neumüller wrote. “Although this study signified a crucial preliminary step, it did not capture the geographical distribution of mining activity, thus missing a vital component for a more comprehensive environmental impact assessment.”

This diverse geographical distribution, as noted in the report, was influenced by Ethereum’s initial application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)-resistant protocol design, which made mining more accessible across different regions. Europe, for instance, played a significant role in the early days, with a noticeable presence in the mining landscape.

The report estimates that the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributable to Ethereum mining stood at 27.5 MtCO2e up until it transitioned to proof-of-stake (PoS). This figure, accounting for nearly 0.06% of global GHG emissions in 2020, according to the CCAF study, is comparable to the emissions of countries like Honduras and Lebanon.

The Merge, Ethereum’s transition from PoW to PoS, was a strategic shift aimed at increasing scalability and reducing energy consumption. This switch not only marked a reduction in energy use by approximately 99.97% but also set the stage for future scalability improvements, making Ethereum’s network more sustainable and efficient.

Post-Merge, the network’s environmental impact has been significantly reduced. The CCAF’s estimates show a dramatic decrease in GHG emissions, indicating a successful implementation of the PoS mechanism in reducing the network’s ecological footprint. Toward the end of the study, Neumüller asks if Bitcoin will follow Ethereum’s path and remarks that bitcoiners “predominantly uphold its commitment to PoW.”

“The narrative of Ethereum and Bitcoin’s different paths is not just a tale of technological advancements but also reflects different ideologies and priorities of their communities, highlighting the multifaceted complexity inherent in the evolution of leading blockchain networks,” Neumüller concludes.

What are your thoughts on the latest CCAF report on Ethereum? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Custodial Lightning Network Service Attack Discovered by LN ‘Newbie’ — Hacker Strikes 6 LN Custodians

On September 18, a Redditor posted to the r/bitcoin forum and explained how he discovered a way to “attack [the] lightning Network’s custodial services.” The Reddit account dubbed “Reckless Satoshi” wanted to figure out if a “discrepancy between real routing fees and service’s transaction fee can be exploited for a profit.” The researcher disclosed that he wanted to see how large the damage could be and said “it is bad.” 6 Lightning Network Custodial Services Attacked, Researcher Discloses Findings to Offenders Prior to Public Disclosure A Redditor called Reckless Satoshi published a disclosure post on r/bitcoin this past Saturday and disclosed how he had found a vulnerability with routing fees and some of the Lightning Network’s custodial services. The research attack was done in good faith and after it was complete he disclosed the bugs to the offending services before publishing his findings. Reckless Satoshi used the Lightning Network (LN) attack on six different services incl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Axie Infinity Down 40% Since Last Week’s Price High, Protocol Revenue Outshines Competitors

Last week, the game token leveraged within the Axie Infinity gaming universe skyrocketed to all-time highs, while other crypto markets remained extremely lackluster. During the last seven days, Axie Infinity’s platform token has dropped significantly in value shedding more than 12%. Meanwhile, the game platform’s smooth love potion token has slid over 8% over the last 24 hours. Axie Infinity Down More Than 40% Since All-Time High Not too long ago, the axie infinity (AXS) token was a topical conversation because it reached an all-time high on July 15. At the time, AXS managed to capture $28.93 per unit and since then it has shed 12.8% during the last seven days. The axie infinity (AXS) token is used within the blockchain-based game that involves battles between token-based creatures called “Axies.” AXS is used for the game’s governance system as well as other actions within the game. At the time of writing axie infinity (AXS) is exchanging hands for $16.70 per coin. AXS/USD on Ju...
Post a Comment
Read more

Play-to-Earn Game From Polker (PKR) Exchange Listing – Endorsed by Akon

The Play-to-Earn NFT based Polker.Game ‘s native token $PKR has been officially listed on the popular centralized exchange BitMart. Polker.game has been in the spotlight recently as Akon, the American R&B superstar and record producer gave his official endorsement of polker stating that the “game is revolutionary” and that Polker is “hands down.. the best play to earn, NFT game in the space.”. With the BitMart listing and celebrity endorsement from Akon, Polker is perfectly positioned to become a major player in the Play-to-Earn league. Watch Akon’s Video Here What is Play-to-Earn? Although not a new concept, play-to-earn has become a trending term due to the popularity of the NFT game AXIE infinity. In the past, previous play-to-earn games have also achieved success – however, thanks to the huge amount of development in the blockchain space in recent years the gaming experience is now massively improved. Play-to-Earn games are essentially free to play and open to anyone and...
Post a Comment
Read more

China to Crack Down on Copyright Infringement Through NFTs

Authorities in China are going after creators of digital collectibles based on other people’s works of art, the use of which was not authorized. The government offensive is part of a campaign to combat online copyright infringement and piracy with the participation of several departments. Regulators in China Move to Strengthen Copyright Supervision of Online Platforms The National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) has recently launched a campaign against copyright infringement and piracy on the internet, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Internet Information Office of the People’s Republic. A major objective of the initiative is to improve copyright supervision of online businesses by investigating cases involving the sale and distribution of infringing products on short video, live broadcast and e-commerce platforms, and promptly dealing with infringing content, the agency announced in a press r...
Post a Comment
Read more
Blogarama - Blog Directory