UN report: Bitcoin mining has increased global energy consumption 34 times in 8 years

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) recently released its latest "2024 Digital Economy Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"). The report stated that although digitization has driven global economic growth and provided unique opportunities for developing countries, the impact on the environment is also becoming increasingly serious. The report shows that new technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, 5G, and the Internet of Things are constantly increasing the demand for data transmission, processing, and storage, which also increases greenhouse gas emissions. The global energy consumption generated by Bitcoin "mining" has increased by about 34 times from 2015 to 2023.