Cryptocurrency mining uses significant amounts of energy as part of the proof-of-work time-stamping scheme to add new blocks to the chain. Expanding upon previously calculated energy use patterns for mining four prominent cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Monero), we estimate the per coin economic damages of air pollution emissions and associated human mortality and climate impacts of mining these cryptocurrencies in the US and China. Results indicate that in 2018, each $1 of Bitcoin value created was responsible for $0.49 in health and climate damages in the US and $0.37 in China. The similar value in China relative to the US occurs despite the extremely large disparity between the value of a statistical life estimate for the US relative to that of China. Further, with each cryptocurrency, the rising electricity requirements to produce a single coin can lead to an almost inevitable cliff of negative net social benefits, absent perpetual price increases. For example, in December 2018, our results illustrate a case (for Bitcoin) where the health and climate change âcryptodamagesâ roughly match each $1 of coin value created. We close with discussion of policy implications.
Clearly, the solution is to move the telescopes beyond the orbits of the satellites.
To the 12,000 satellites already planned, SpaceX may add a further 30,000. Other companies, such as Amazon, OneWeb and Samsung, are interested in launching their own constellations.
In a more perfect world, we would tax the everloving shit out of (or otherwise prevent corporations from externalizing the true costs of their business models) such commercial satellites and use the revenue to fund space-based telescopes.
Astronomers et. al. get to leapfrog not only those noisy satellites, but that pesky atmosphere, as well. Telescope construction, combined with the increased volume of TelCo satellite launches, proves to be the impetus for a sort of space-based remix of the industrial revolution. New frontiers are opened for humankind, as we take to the skies (or at least near-earth orbit). Everyone wins.
The nuclear war that finished off anthroposaur society explains the evidence for global wildfires, the bits of stressed quartz and the tektites interpreted by others as evidence for asteroid impact.
and of course thereâs the fact (I use the term loosely) that H. P. Lovecraft had a telepathic connection with anthroposaurs, and that this explains his references to the Old Ones, the fallen city of Râlyeh, his loathing of immigrants, desertion of his attractive wife, and poekilothermic physiology. Err, yup.
One of the less extreme proposals was written up in this novel:
Unsurprisingly, not everybody in the scientific community agreed with Romoserâs fringe claims. Biology professor at Oregon State University David Maddison told Space.com that Romoser is seeing things, pointing out that it may be an example of pareidolia, the phenomenon that leads people to see patterns in random stimuli.
âI, personally, have pareidolia with respect to insects, beetles in particular,â Maddison told Space.com . âIâve worked on beetles for decades; I have collected many thousands of beetles around the world. Through the years I have built into my brain a pattern-recognition system for picking out beetles.â
Couldnât a couple of star-sized black holes coalesce? Or do gravity waves radiate all the excess mass? At least according to existing models of star evolution.
I havenât done the digging into the article or references, so Iâm talking out of my rear here, but⌠one of the larger issues then might be that you need to account for more than one large black hole forming closely enough together to then spiral in and merge within the available time?
