Cointime

Download App
iOS & Android

Riot Platforms' Tongue-in-Cheek Response to Carbon Emissions Criticism Sparks Twitter Reactions

Cointime Official

April 13 (Cointime) - Riot Platforms, the largest bitcoin miner by market cap,  posted a tongue-in-cheek video in response to a New York Times article highlighting the significant carbon emissions and excessive electricity consumption associated with the mining industry.

According to a report from New York Times, it is estimated that 96% of Riot's energy consumption comes from fossil fuels. The publication found that in Texas, the heightened demand from mining led to a nearly 5% increase in electric bills, amounting to an additional $1.8 billion per year. This extra power usage results in carbon emissions equivalent to adding 3.5 million gasoline-powered cars to U.S. roads. The Times also reported that Riot's Rockdale, Texas mine "uses about the same amount of electricity as the nearest 300,000 homes, making it the most power-intensive Bitcoin mining operation in America."

However, in the tongue-in-cheek response video shared on Twitter, a Riot official clad in safety gear strolls around a semi-grassy area, taking measurements of low CO2 levels and pointing out the surrounding plants. "Rockdale has some of the freshest air I've ever breathed," says the individual, who appears to be Riot's head of research, Pierre Rochard. He then enters the mining facility and records an even lower CO2 level inside the largest Bitcoin mining facility in the U.S.

"The science is conclusive," the bearded man representing Riot states in the video. "The data shows Bitcoin mining does not emit any CO2."

Twitter users, naturally, piled on, roasting the bitcoin miner for its comically literal interpretation of mining and greenhouse gases.

"Is this a parody? I was waiting for punchline. Bitcoin mining release large amount of carbon emissions because it consumes a tremendous amount of electrical power and most of the power generated in the US is by burning fossil fuels." said Twitter user angelo @angelongonyama.

Source: https://twitter.com/RiotPlatforms/status/1645473961004892162

"Oh my god. Please, please, please tell me this is a joke. If it isn’t, I don’t know what to say. You do know that the emissions of CO2 don’t come from the computers — but from the coal and gas plants powering your facility?" another user Dr. Jonathan Foley@GlobalEcoGuy said in a reply.

Source: https://twitter.com/RiotPlatforms/status/1645473961004892162

Some user think its a "synical joke", they believes—the folks behind it know it's trash, but are hoping to fool people.

Source: https://twitter.com/RiotPlatforms/status/1645473961004892162
Comments

All Comments

Recommended for you

  • Starknet: Phase 1 of STRK staking is now live on the mainnet

    Starknet announced that the first stage of STRK staking has officially launched on the mainnet.

  • CZ: Not trying to end the meme craze, just encouraging more builders

    CZ posted on X platform today, saying: "I am not against Meme coins, but Meme coins have become 'a little' strange now. Let's use blockchain technology to build practical applications." Some community users said that even Musk is a supporter of Meme coins, and it is very difficult to end this frenzy. CZ responded that "there is no attempt to end anything, everyone has the right to choose to invest or hold what they want. Just encourage more builders."

  • Talus Network Completes $6 Million Strategic Round of Financing with a Valuation of $150 Million

    decentralized AI protocol Talus Network raised $6 million in a strategic financing round led by Polychain Capital, valuing the company at $150 million. This funding will help further develop the Talus ecosystem, including the Protochain, Nexus framework, and "AI dating experience" application.

  • AXIOS: Trump is considering appointing a secretary of state for artificial intelligence

    according to AXIOS, Trump is considering appointing an AI minister to coordinate federal policies and government use of emerging technologies.

  • Coinbase International has launched COW perpetual contracts

     Coinbase International has launched COW perpetual contracts. COW-PERP market limit, market, stop loss, and stop loss limit orders are now all available.

  • Schuman Financial Completes $7.36 Million Seed Round, Led by RockawayX

    Schuman Financial has completed a $7.36 million seed round of financing, led by RockawayX, with participation from Lightspeed Faction, Kraken Ventures, Nexo Ventures, Gnosis VC, Delta Blockchain Fund and Bankless Ventures. In addition, Schuman Financial has launched a euro stablecoin, EURØP, which complies with the MiCA standard.

  • QCP: BTC's path to $100,000 has stalled, and ETH implied volatility has turned to put options

    QCP Capital has published an analysis indicating that the recent drop in the price of Bitcoin has resulted in long liquidations exceeding $430 million. This drop coincides with the end of five consecutive days of net inflows for spot ETFs, which recorded a outflow of $438 million on Monday, while MicroStrategy fell by 4.4%. With the US holiday approaching and no immediate catalyst to push prices higher, BTC's path towards $100,000 has stalled. In addition, the implied volatility of ETH has turned to bearish options rather than bullish options, and market concerns about downside risks may intensify, especially with the release of the FOMC meeting minutes and PCE data. However, in the long run, this market decline is not an excessive correction. Bitcoin has only retreated to last week's level. Since Trump's election, the market has become extremely overbought and leveraged, so a pause is inevitable.

  • Binance will delist GFT, IRIS, KEY, OAX, and REN

     Binance will delist the following trading pairs on December 10, 2024: GFT/USDT, IRIS/BTC, IRIS/USDT, KEY/USDT, OAX/BTC, OAX/USDT, REN/BTC, and REN/USDT. Additionally, Binance Futures will close all positions and automatically settle the KEYUSDT and RENUSDT USDⓈ-M perpetual contracts on December 3, 2024 at 09:00 (UTC). After the settlement is completed, the contracts will be delisted.

  • OpenTrade announces $4 million seed extension round led by AlbionVC

    OpenTrade has announced the completion of a $4 million seed extension financing round to build RWA-supported loan and stablecoin yield products. This round of financing was led by AlbionVC, with participation from a16z Crypto and CMCC Global. OpenTrade plans to use the funds to expand its operations and enhance its product capabilities.

  • BNB Chain Ecosystem Re-staking Infrastructure Kernel Receives Investment from Binance Labs

    BNB Chain's ecological re-staking infrastructure Kernel has announced that it has received investment from Binance Labs. As of now, its total financing amount has reached 10 million US dollars, with main investors including: SCB Limited, Laser Digital, Bankless Ventures, Hypersphere, Draper Dragon, DACM, CYPHER, ArkStream Capital, HTX Ventures, Avid VC, GSR, Cluster Capital, Longhash Ventures, Via BTC, Side Door Ventures, NOIA, and DWF Labs. It is reported that Kernel's mainnet is about to be launched. Kelp provides users with support for Ethereum liquidity re-staking services based on rsETH, while Gain provides DeFi, CeDeFi, and RWA income products. KERNEL tokens are designed to unify the governance and incentive mechanisms of Kelp, Kernel, and Gain, while providing rewards for early supporters of ecosystem development.