Key Takeaways
- Harvard study claims 1.9 million Americans affected by Bitcoin mining pollution.
- Experts say the study uses flawed emissions data and cherry-picked sites.
- DARI and others argue Bitcoin mining can benefit renewable energy and grid stability.
A new Harvard-led study claiming Bitcoin mining poses serious environmental health risks has come under intense scrutiny from energy experts and researchers.
The paper, published in Nature Communications, asserts that mining operations across 34 U.S. sites exposed 1.9 million Americans to increased fine particulate pollution between mid-2022 and mid-2023.
It estimates the operations consumed 32.3 TWh of electricity—33% more than Los Angeles—mostly sourced from fossil fuels.
Researchers’ concerns
Researchers, including Dr. Francesca Dominici and Gianluca Guidi, described Bitcoin mining as a challenge to environmental regulation, citing hotspots like New York City, Houston, and the Illinois/Kentucky border as most impacted, calling it an…
… emerging and significant challenge.
They called for federal intervention.
Industry expert criticism
But industry experts like Daniel Batten, a climate tech investor and advisor to MARA, the largest public Bitcoin miner, denounced the study as…
… deeply flawed.
Batten said the paper used marginal emissions data without disclosing its limitations and leaned heavily on news sources rather than peer-reviewed research.
He argued the study…
… looked like the conclusion was ‘Bitcoin mining must look bad’ then went looking to find data and methodologies that supported that.
Counter research
The Digital Assets Research Institute (DARI) also issued a formal rebuttal, citing flawed emissions attribution and selective data use.
Batten pointed to 20 positive peer-reviewed papers on Bitcoin mining’s environmental benefits that the Harvard team ignored, including studies showing mining supports renewables and reduces grid strain.
