A contributor believes that BTC does not align with Wikipedia’s environmental commitment. Other users rejected the arguments and supported bitcoin.
The environmental impact attributed to Bitcoin mining is a matter of discussion. This time it approached the collaborators of the Wikimedia Foundation. This foundation, which manages the free Internet encyclopedia, Wikipedia, has been accepting donations in Bitcoin (BTC) since 2014, as well as in Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and ether (ETH).
A participant from the organization, Molly White, proposed in a section where collaborators can participate and debate that crypto-assets should no longer get accepted as donations.
According to White, BTC and other digital currencies do not align with the Wikimedia Foundation’s commitment to environmental sustainability. White considers the high amount of energy that comes from proof-of-work to be an unwarranted expense.
According to the representative, accepting cryptocurrencies means giving support from the foundation to investments and technologies that are inherently predatory.
White also stated that there is a risk of damage in reputation by accepting cryptocurrencies and gave the example of the developer organization of the Mozilla Firefox web browser. This group paused donations in bitcoin and cryptocurrencies while they reviewed their policy on donations and if it related to their climate goals.
For its part, the Wikimedia Foundation is still receiving donations in cryptocurrencies, while the debate gets held in the space provided by the organization.
Responses to the Proposal
The responses to White’s presentation were immediate, and arguments could also get evidenced in favor of the bitcoin donation. One of the positions in favor of accepting bitcoin was that of the collaborator Awwright.
The contributor said that receiving bitcoin is not supporting that industry since that would be the same as saying that they support the United States Federal Reserve or the government of that country, just for receiving donations in US dollars.
Others have explained that bitcoin is a stimulus for green energy. One of the most recent examples took place in Costa Rica. There, hydroelectric energy sources had allowed the development of Bitcoin mining activity. Although digital mining in Costa Rica is not prohibited, it lacks regulations, as does the rest of the market.
That lack doesn’t mean they don’t intend to set up regulations. Some reports revealed that the president of the Central Bank, Rodrigo Cubero Brealey, said that this new economy had to be regulated “to the extent necessary.” There are 650 Miners that belong to 150 Clients Operate Non-Stop in the Central American Nation every day.
There is no denying that the energy consumption by this industry is high. A series of studies and reports highlighted by various media outlets ensure that more than half of the miners use renewable energy sources.
By Jenson Rivas
