The Mozilla Foundation has put cryptocurrency donations on hold following a community backlash sparked by trenchant criticism from co-founder Jamie Zawinski. Last week the development company behind the Firefox browser tweeted an appeal for donations in cryptocurrency. But earlier today, Mozilla announced it had paused crypto donations due to the online discussion around crypto’s environmental impact. Last week, we tweeted a reminder that Mozilla accepts cryptocurrency donations. This led to an important discussion about cryptocurrency’s environmental impact. We’re listening, and taking action. 1/4 — Mozilla (@mozilla) January 6, 2022 Mozilla said it will continue to explore decentralized web technology, but …

Bitcoin influencer and podcaster Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano said that there is no need to “apologize” for Bitcoin’s energy use, because “crucial things in the world use energy.” He made the comments in a Dec 27 interview on CNBC’s morning news and talk program, “Squawk Box” with Joe Kernen. During the interview, he claimed that many people are missing “key points” in the “climate argument” against the Bitcoin (BTC) ecosystem, especially in terms of comparisons with fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar: “There is a linear relationship between energy consumption and the dollar system, to support more users and more transactions, …

2021 has been a breakout year for the cryptocurrency market and aside from Bitcoin price soaring to new highs, the emergence of a vast decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem and the rising popularity of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) has thrust blockchain technology into the mainstream in a way that looks guaranteed to ensure mass adoption. One project that has benefited from its focus on NFTs and the ongoing green revolution is Tezos (XTZ), a layer-one smart contract protocol that is capable of evolving its network without needing to undergo a hard fork. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that after …

Tezos, a privacy focused blockchain network, released its carbon footprint report from PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory SAS — a French member firm of the PwC network of member firms. The PwC report reflects drastic improvements in energy efficiency for Tezos since moving from a proof-of-work (PoW) mining consensus to a proof-of-stake (PoS) one. The PwC report highlighted a significant decline in carbon emission by Tezos network despite a rise in network activity. Tezos blockchain accounted for 50 million transactions while, according to the report, the whole network constituted an energy footprint of 17 world citizens. The energy efficiency for each transaction on …

Nonfungible tokens (NFTs) are no longer the buzzword in the world of crypto and blockchain but instead have become an integral part of blockchain technology services. As the popularity of NFTs soared, so has the conversation around using NFTs to make a difference and giving back to the communities that need it most. The use cases for NFTs expand if we can attach them to tangible outcomes. As collectors connect further with the causes behind some of the most fascinating NFT projects, they become more engaged, increasing the value of the NFTs. Using NFTs for social good The growth in …

Miami is preparing to be one of the first major US cities to monitor its air quality using a decentralized Internet of Things (IoT) network built on Algorand. French environmental technology company Planetwatch has developed five different types of air quality sensors. With funding from Borderless Capital’s $10 million PLANETS fund, sensors will be deployed throughout the city, including in the homes of city residents. Each sensor detects the concentration of air pollution in an area. When combined into a network, they will help residents and city officials analyze where higher levels of pollution exist. Data collected by the sensors …

It takes a lot of energy for miners to verify transactions and mint new blocks on the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain. According to Statistica, one Bitcoin transaction consumes as much electricity as over 1 million VISA transactions. Moreover, the cryptocurrency's environmental burden increases even more if the energy used for mining stems from fossil fuels. But SAITech, a Eurasia-based Bitcoin mining operator with headquarters in Singapore, seeks to recycle the waste energy from mining for use in residential, agricultural, and industrial applications. The company is also undergoing a $228 million special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, merger with TradeUP Global Corp …

A panel of thought leaders and blockchain visionaries from around the globe converged in Glasgow, Scotland on Nov. 11 for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) summit to announce the finalists and winners of an illustrious display of artistic entries to the DigitalArt4Climate competition. DigitalArt4Climate is a multi-faceted crypto climate initiative, organized by IAAI GloCha in collaboration with the UN-Habitat youth programme, which empowers the global community of artists to create of nonfungible token (NFT) works inherently focused on advocating for climate action. Moderated by the CEO of The Oblique Life, Romi Sumaria, and attended by Head of Metaverse …

Popular community messaging app Discord has been forced to walk back its integration plans with Ethereum (ETH)-based NFTs following strong backlash from a significant number of its user base. The pushback started on Nov. 9 after Discord’s founder and CEO Jason Citron tweeted “probably nothing” accompanied by a screenshot of the app’s user settings page that displayed an ETH logo and option to connect digital wallets such as MetaMask and Wallet Connect. Citron was then bombarded with thousands of comments calling on him to abandon the plans along with users threatening to cancel Nitro subscriptions. The crypto-skeptics asserted that NFTs …

Climate-change focused Klima DAO has accumulated over 9 million tonnes of carbon offsets according to a Nov. 8 announcement. The USD value of those offsets has surpassed $100 million. In a blog post, the project explained that those offsets are equivalent to the annual emissions of Georgia, Jamaica, or Papua New Guinea. The Klima DAO protocol aims to increase the price appreciation of carbon assets. The core team told Cointelegraph that it intends to put upward pressure on the price of carbon offsets “so that it becomes more profitable to engage in offset-generating activities, such as conserving land for carbon …

In its third-quarter earnings release, Canadian cryptocurrency miner Hut8 announced that it surpassed its goal set earlier this year of holding 5,000 Bitcoins (BTC) in reserves through mining. Its Bitcoin balance now amounts to 5,053, for a total market value of $430 million. During the quarter, Hut 8 generated 50.34 million Canadian dollars (CA$) in revenue and CA$23.37 million in net income, up from CA$5.75 million in revenue and a loss of CA$0.90 million in the prior year's quarter. The company hosts a sizable fleet of Application-Specific Integrated Circuit, or ASIC, machines used for Bitcoin mining. In addition, it deploys …

Speaking at a COP26 press conference in Glasgow, Scotland on Wednesday, a panoply of experts from the tech-environmental sector spoke to global citizens across the world about improving coordination and support for climate action with blockchain technology. The GloCha United Citizens Organization for Action for Climate Empowerment has been launched at COP26 as a blockchain-based quasi-international organization located in Klagenfurt, Austria. It will now seek to utilize blockchain technology to advance climate change objectives in alignment with the UN SDGs. The UCO is rooted in the Action for Climate Empowerment Innovation Project, or ACE_AT, as well as Global Challenges Action …