Environmentalists sound alarm at US politicians’ embrace of cryptocurrency

Bitcoin and similar blockchain-based currencies require huge amounts of power, predominantly generated from fossil fuels

The incoming mayor of New York City thinks cryptocurrency and blockchain technology are the future. Eric Adams has advocated to reshape the city into a crypto hotspot, with crypto being taught in schools. He also plans to take his first three paychecks in bitcoin payment.

Adams said in an interview that bitcoin was the new way of paying for goods and services throughout the entire globe" and that schools must" teach the technology behind it, as well as this new way of thinking".