Nicoleta Dascalu

Mar 10, 2025 | nature.com | Abdelmohsen A. Nassani |Nicoleta Dascalu |Radulescu Magdalena |Kamel Si Mohammed

This study investigates the impact of Bitcoin’s energy and water consumption on environmental sustainability, focusing on the load capacity factor (LCF) and the roles of energy transition green technology in major cryptocurrency-producing nations. Utilizing the method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) approach, the findings reveal a negative impact of mining energy consumption on environmental sustainability, particularly in the lower quantiles, with a stronger negative effect in the higher quantiles. Energy transition plays a critical role in moderating this impact, though the shift towards cleaner energy sources has not been sufficient to mitigate the adverse environmental effects. The water footprint has limited influence on LCF across upper and lower quantiles. Moreover, the results do not support the LCF hypothesis. An increase in mining activity leads to a rise in LCF, while this effect turns negative in the 90th quantile. These findings underscore the importance of energy transition in reducing Bitcoin’s environmental footprint and emphasize the need for policymakers to swiftly enact regulations and foster innovative technologies to promote environmentally sustainable digital currencies while providing valuable insights into water resource management.