The virtual 7th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum was jointly hosted by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan and the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network with the theme “Enabling Resilience for All: The Critical Decade to Scale-up Action.” The forum took place in March and was held to formulate national adaptation planning for science and technology, and energy and fiscal policies that consider the interlinkages between climate change, health and biodiversity. These nature- and ecosystem-based policies will serve as the basis for the Asia-Pacific region’s contributions to the Leaders Summit on Climate in the United States; the United Nations Biodiversity …

Legislators in the United Kingdom have asked for greater regulatory powers to combat the rise of financial “greenwashing” — a deceptive practice where a company overstates or fabricates the extent of its green energy usage. A report by the House of Commons cross-party Treasury Committee urges the U.K. government to sharpen its definition of environmentally conscious investments and to consult on the prospect of attaching “green labels” to financial products. The report notes that “green” claims attached to financial investments are often exaggerated, and can fail to align with customer expectations: “It is clear that in some cases the labels …

Some of Bitcoin’s most prominent backers have sought to make the case for Bitcoin’s environmental efficiency, with a collaborative paper from researchers at financial services firm Square and investment manager Ark Invest asserting that Bitcoin mining can drive increased efficiency in renewable energy production. The paper, authored by “The Bitcoin Clean Energy Initiative,” or BCEI, seeks to counter the claim that “the computation required to secure Bitcoin [...] is environmentally damaging and ruining the planet,” arguing that Bitcoin mining incentivizes the generation of electricity “from renewable carbon-free sources.” The paper has received support from top crypto luminaries including Square’s Jack …

Smart contract platform Algorand plans to achieve a carbon-negative network by implementing a “sustainability oracle” in partnership with ClimateTrade in a move that could make blockchain adoption more environmentally friendly. The partnership, which was announced Thursday, enables Algorand to notarize its on-chain carbon footprint and then lock the equivalent amount of carbon credits into a so-called green treasury. Silvio Micali, Algorand’s founder, said the company is focusing on sustainability at a time of growing adoption for the smart-contract protocol. “As this period of hyper growth continues, we find it crucial to operate at a carbon-negative level. Indeed sustainable growth is …

Mike Colyer, CEO of Foundry Digital — a crypto mining subsidiary of Digital Currency Group — believes mining Bitcoin could eventually help the world transition to green energy. Speaking at the Crypto Mining Forum online event on Tuesday, Colyer said he believes that as major energy companies see the economic benefits of mining cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), it may lead to a restructuring of both capital and operations. Calling Bitcoin mining "a great stabilizer" for the power grid, the Foundry Digital CEO said the technology could become a "bridge between the current energy production and a world where 100% of …

Decarbbitcoin Labs, an environmentally-focused think tank founded by Community Electricity, is taking a hands-on approach to fighting climate change in California — and is using Bitcoin (BTC) mining as its first prototype. Building off California’s Environmental Justice Program, whose mission is to protect communities that endure a disproportionate share of environmental pollution, Decarbbitcoin Labs is developing a first-of-its-kind prototype in Los Angeles aimed at not only decarbonizing the community but also proving how green Bitcoin will be mined. Austin Davis, co-founder of Community Electricity, told Cointelegraph that Environmental Justice Communities across the state receive over $1 billion in funding for …

A group of more than 20 firms comprising crypto, finance, technology, energy, and nongovernmental organizations has banded together to focus on the environmental impact of cryptocurrency. In an announcement on Thursday, the Crypto Climate Accord — reportedly inspired by the 195-signatory Paris Climate Agreement — said it aims to address the "large and growing energy consumption of cryptocurrency and blockchain, and the climate impact of their energy use." Launched by nonprofits Energy Web Foundation, the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Alliance for Innovative Regulation, the group’s partners include high-profile firms in the crypto space like blockchain-based payments company Ripple, Canadian …

Asahi’s Australian lager beer subsidiary Victoria Bitter has taken a step toward sustainability by allowing customers to earn a pint with solar energy via blockchain. According to a Wednesday announcement, Victoria Bitter has partnered with major blockchain energy firm Power Ledger to unlock a new program allowing participants to exchange excess solar energy for slabs of beer. “The only thing better than drinking the Big Cold Beer in the Aussie sun is earning beer while you do it. Plus it’s a real win-win for beer lovers and the environment,” Victoria Bitter’s general manager of marketing Brian Phan said. The new …

Allocating capital to Bitcoin risks a backlash from environmentally conscious investors, according to author and co-anchor of CNBC's Squawk Box, Andrew Ross Sorkin. In a piece for the International New York Times, syndicated worldwide, Sorkin pointed to statements by Lawrence Fink, CEO of Black Rock — the largest asset managers in the world — indicating his company would make all future investment decisions based on “how they plan to meet the climate challenge.” Tesla’s $TSLA recent bet on bitcoin sullies its green credentials. Mining and transacting the cryptocurrency requires huge amounts of computing power and electricity, much of it from …

Several organizations have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. town of Torrey, New York for approving a plan to expand a Bitcoin (BTC) mining facility near one of the Finger Lakes. In court documents filed on Thursday in the State of New York Supreme Court, the Sierra Club, Seneca Lake Guardian, the Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes and more than 20 local residents allege that the local government violated state laws by approving Greenidge Generation’s site plan to expand the operations for its existing Bitcoin mining facility. Allegations in the lawsuit state that Greenidge circumvented laws which require an …

On Tuesday, payments giant Square announced a major push to go carbon neutral by 2030. As part of the initiative, Square will be dedicating $10 million to its Bitcoin Clean Energy Investment Initiative, which aims to “support companies that help drive adoption and efficiency of renewables within the Bitcoin ecosystem.” Square is the firm behind CashApp — a major force in bringing crypto to regular users. In today’s announcement, Square identified Bitcoin as “a unique part of Square’s footprint.” Jack Dorsey, CEO of both Square and Twitter, said: “We believe that cryptocurrency will eventually be powered completely by clean power, …

A three-year pilot scheme for an innovative blockchain-based electric vehicle charging platform has received $1 million in funding from Natural Resources Canada, a department of the country’s government. The scheme promises to reduce the cost of electric vehicle charging transactions and enhance power grid efficiency, according to an article on the independent Electric Autonomy Canada platform. The pilot will take place at two multi-tenanted office buildings in downtown Toronto, and is run by electric vehicle charging platform SWTCH Energy and intelligent energy software developer Opus One Solutions. The innovation comes through the understanding that electric vehicles aren’t just alternatively-powered cars, …