The international environmental organisation Greenpeace unveiled a new mascot that embodies the ‘dangerous levels of pollution’ caused by mining Bitcoin.
Some climate activists think #Bitcoin is just fake internet money they can safely ignore.
The truth? Bitcoin is causing dangerous amounts of real-world pollution from its ravenous consumption of fossil fuels, all due to its outdated code.
The solution? #ChangeTheCode pic.twitter.com/7wa7BMCzV5
— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) March 23, 2023
Environmentalists argue that the technology’s ‘outdated code’ harms the environment. For them Bitcoin ‘has become the main obstacle in the fight to phase out fossil fuels’.
The organisation offers a free sticker featuring the ‘Satoshi’s Skull’ and the slogan ‘Change the code, not the climate’.
The director of media strategy at mining company Compass Mining, Will Foxley, called Greenpeace’s mascot ‘really cool’ and set its image as his profile avatar.
So badass honestly pic.twitter.com/z68XVws6by
— Will Foxley ? (@wsfoxley) March 24, 2023
Coin Metrics co-founder Nic Carter remarked that Greenpeace ‘accidentally made the most metal bitcoin artwork to date in their misguided anti-PoW campaign PoW‘.
Greenpeace accidentally made the most metal bitcoin artwork to date in their misguided anti-PoW campaign pic.twitter.com/5iiRv7NLYv
— nic ? carter ?♂️? (@nic__carter) March 24, 2023
In March 2022, Greenpeace initiated the campaign ‘Change the Code, Not the Climate’ in collaboration with other eco-groups and Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen. Their aim is to move Bitcoin from the algorithm Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake.
Some industry figures criticised Larsen. Messari founder Ryan Selkis called him a ‘Judas’ who ‘made billions in crypto markets, but then threw Bitcoin under the bus’.