Big Tech’s environmental impact continues to swell with the expansion of generative artificial intelligence products and services. Amazon alone emits more carbon dioxide annually than the entire global Bitcoin mining industry.
Since 2019, major U.S. tech firms have collectively released more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than Bitcoin has since its inception in 2009, a stark revelation since most began disclosing their emissions around this time.
Estimating Bitcoin’s carbon footprint globally remains a challenge due to the complexity of accessing comprehensive power grid data across mining countries. Nonetheless, studies have approximated significant energy consumption, with one United Nations University study citing 173.42 Terawatt hours of electricity consumed by the Bitcoin mining network between 2020 and 2021. This figure surpasses the energy usage of entire nations like Pakistan.
Another study suggests Bitcoin mining could be responsible for approximately 65.4 megatonnes of CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to Greece’s total emissions.
Critics argue these figures underscore Bitcoin’s environmental impact, questioning whether its benefits outweigh climate concerns. However, when comparing emissions to corporate entities, the scale tips differently.
Amazon, for instance, reported emitting 71.54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2021 alone, surpassing Bitcoin’s estimated 65.4 million metric tons. Google and Microsoft followed suit, reporting 14.3 million and 15.3 million tons respectively in 2023. With Apple contributing an additional 15.6 million tons, these companies collectively exceed 100 million tons annually, highlighting their substantial environmental footprint.
While comparing corporate emissions to estimates from Bitcoin mining isn’t a perfect science, it’s clear that Big Tech’s footprint surpasses that of Bitcoin. Considering the equivalent energy demands and emissions of AI data centers, Bitcoin mining, and cloud computing, U.S. Big Tech firms have emitted more carbon since 2019 than global Bitcoin mining has over the cryptocurrency’s entire history.
In related news, the world’s largest Bitcoin miner chose not to sell any BTC in June, underscoring ongoing developments in the cryptocurrency sector.