The implementation of Ethereum's proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, The Merge, has led to a significant reduction in its annual carbon footprint, resulting in a decrease of over 99% in carbon footprints and more than 99.9% in annual electricity consumption. In contrast, Bitcoin's carbon footprint has increased significantly over the past three years, with annual emissions estimated to surpass the yearly greenhouse gas emissions of countries like New Zealand and Cambodia.

However, Bitcoin's estimated annual emissions only contribute 0.15% to the global tally, and the shift to cleaner and renewable sources of energy has instilled optimism among Bitcoin supporters. While Ethereum has addressed accusations of unsustainability, Bitcoin's energy consumption is still lower than other industries that consume large amounts of power. The article also contains several adpushup triggers.