The pro-climate intellectuals often criticize Bitcoin for its significant energy demands. Also, there is a widespread belief that the energy source used to mine Bitcoin is not renewable. It is no surprise that ordinary people fall for this propaganda pretty comfortably. 

But does crypto pose a challenge to the global energy infrastructure? Or are we slow to fathom the idea of galactic species?

Let me clarify something beforehand. Through this article, I am not trying to validate bitcoin because it needs no validation at all. Nor am I trying to support it because it desires no support either. Bitcoin is simply a mathematical beauty. Whether it can become a global reserve asset is a debate for another eon!

International Energy Agency (IEA) is the global leader in energy studies. Their primary energy supply data compares the energy output in 1979 and 2019. What changed in 40 years? 

Firstly, the world is still predominantly dependent on coal and oil for its energy needs. Both contribute to more than 50% of the global energy supply! While the share of renewable sources is less than 10%. 

So let's respectfully reject the conspiracy that Bitcoin precipitates a global energy crisis. 

The overall renewable energy adoption has been increasing at a slower pace. The World Bank data shows the population has doubled in the last 40 years. At the same time, the global supply has increased by 150%. But the demand outgrows the supply, and we can not hold Bitcoin responsible for the same.

Yet, Bitcoin is forced to wear the shame for existing!

In this article, let's focus on three things.

1. the global anxieties about the energy drain

2. need for Bitcoin to embrace the new age dilemma of Energy Efficiency

3. Kardashev scale and the future of humanity.

Kardashev scale is the measure of consumption of energy in each progressive stage of human development. In other words, it quantitatively outlays the idea of the amount of energy a civilization can harness for its growth. We will discuss this in simpler terms later in this article.

Humans, the protagonists, can utilize the energy on Earth and from the Sun (Solar Energy - to some extent). But during a population explosion, the need for energy grows exponentially. In that aspect, Blockchain is an experiment in the right direction. Is it wise to halt and abandon what we achieved with crypto? Or should we look for other solutions?

First, let's dig into some facts on Bitcoin's energy usage. As Bitcoin uses proof of work, it is ideal comparing its energy usage with an existing system, fiat money. Be it Pounds, Dollars, or Yuan: it takes an average of 4.4 KWh for a nominal number of transactions, say 100. At the same time, Bitcoin can accomplish the same number of transactions under 1KWh!

Assuming the technology maintains its momentum, one can see that, 

• The number of Bitcoin users will increase.

• The number of transactions would grow linearly and substantially.

So why this impressive yet complicated theory is relevant for cryptocurrencies as a whole and Bitcoin in particular? The same question can be an answer to the current turmoil faced by Bitcoin & Co.

Nikolai Kardashev is a Russian astrophysicist born in 1932. He lived his childhood during the age of the Great depression. Essentially, his theory is deeply rooted in the growth and evolution of humans as a species.

Kardashev talks about three men or three civilizations. For ease of explanation, we can call them Bob, Paul, and Steve.

Bob is a planetary man. He can use the energy confined within the planet, like Coal, Oil, Gas, etc. He can survive as long as these energy sources are readily available. However, his progress is restricted by limited and exhaustible resources. Currently, most of us are Bobs, the earthly creatures.

Nevertheless, some of us are semi-Pauls. Why semi? Because we have progressed from Bobs but not yet evolved to Paul. In other words, we are maturing into Paul slowly. 

But who is Paul? Paul is the stellar man who can use the planet’s energy and the energy of the planetary system associated with the star, the Sun. You might wonder, the world has Solar panels, so how are we not yet Pauls? Earth receives an average of 257 Trillion kWh of energy daily from the Sun. That figure is roughly one-fourth of the Shiba Inu Total supply. The global energy demand in a day is around 277 Billion kWh. That means Sun alone gives a thousand times the energy needs of humans! Imagine what the human race can achieve with that level of energy!

Okay! For now, let us leave Paul and those bulky numbers behind. Steve is the smartest and most highly evolved of them all. He is the galactic man who can use the energy of the whole Galaxy itself. That figure is roughly 10^20 times the energy needs of Earth, not just humanity. 

So the ultimate question comes to us, are we in a pole position to become Paul, the stellar man? In my opinion, we are ready, and the growth of technology will determine the fate and future of our civilization.

To make Bitcoin sustainable in energy governance, we need to embrace sources that are renewable in the true sense. Let me put this into perspective. A single bolt of lightning can power a city for a day, and there are at least 40 bolts of lightning occurring each second. Here is the opportunity to leverage alternative, renewable energy sources. Currently, hydropower is the most widely used, and solar energy might take the first place sooner rather than later. 

Perhaps it is too early for Bitcoin or a digital currency to become the reserve asset. Maybe some decades from now, people will look back at us and wonder how we used a piece of paper and hold it as something so valuable. How could we let some people print as many as they want to finance their illusions? Also, how we repeatedly reinforced the story of money and complicated financial systems. Yes, paper money is just another fictional story the whole world chose to believe. 

Back to the Kardashev scale, if the civilization wants to evolve into a galactic species, it is critical to have a positive outlook toward Bitcoin and other cryptos. And sometimes, it is incredible to hope for this abundance, although we have just 21 million of them!

The pro-climate intellectuals often criticize Bitcoin for its significant energy demands. Also, there is a widespread belief that the energy source used to mine Bitcoin is not renewable. It is no surprise that ordinary people fall for this propaganda pretty comfortably. 

But does crypto pose a challenge to the global energy infrastructure? Or are we slow to fathom the idea of galactic species?

Let me clarify something beforehand. Through this article, I am not trying to validate bitcoin because it needs no validation at all. Nor am I trying to support it because it desires no support either. Bitcoin is simply a mathematical beauty. Whether it can become a global reserve asset is a debate for another eon!

International Energy Agency (IEA) is the global leader in energy studies. Their primary energy supply data compares the energy output in 1979 and 2019. What changed in 40 years? 

Firstly, the world is still predominantly dependent on coal and oil for its energy needs. Both contribute to more than 50% of the global energy supply! While the share of renewable sources is less than 10%. 

So let's respectfully reject the conspiracy that Bitcoin precipitates a global energy crisis. 

The overall renewable energy adoption has been increasing at a slower pace. The World Bank data shows the population has doubled in the last 40 years. At the same time, the global supply has increased by 150%. But the demand outgrows the supply, and we can not hold Bitcoin responsible for the same.

Yet, Bitcoin is forced to wear the shame for existing!

In this article, let's focus on three things.

1. the global anxieties about the energy drain

2. need for Bitcoin to embrace the new age dilemma of Energy Efficiency

3. Kardashev scale and the future of humanity.

Kardashev scale is the measure of consumption of energy in each progressive stage of human development. In other words, it quantitatively outlays the idea of the amount of energy a civilization can harness for its growth. We will discuss this in simpler terms later in this article.

Humans, the protagonists, can utilize the energy on Earth and from the Sun (Solar Energy - to some extent). But during a population explosion, the need for energy grows exponentially. In that aspect, Blockchain is an experiment in the right direction. Is it wise to halt and abandon what we achieved with crypto? Or should we look for other solutions?

First, let's dig into some facts on Bitcoin's energy usage. As Bitcoin uses proof of work, it is ideal comparing its energy usage with an existing system, fiat money. Be it Pounds, Dollars, or Yuan: it takes an average of 4.4 KWh for a nominal number of transactions, say 100. At the same time, Bitcoin can accomplish the same number of transactions under 1KWh!

Assuming the technology maintains its momentum, one can see that, 

• The number of Bitcoin users will increase.

• The number of transactions would grow linearly and substantially.

So why this impressive yet complicated theory is relevant for cryptocurrencies as a whole and Bitcoin in particular? The same question can be an answer to the current turmoil faced by Bitcoin & Co.

Nikolai Kardashev is a Russian astrophysicist born in 1932. He lived his childhood during the age of the Great depression. Essentially, his theory is deeply rooted in the growth and evolution of humans as a species.

Kardashev talks about three men or three civilizations. For ease of explanation, we can call them Bob, Paul, and Steve.

Bob is a planetary man. He can use the energy confined within the planet, like Coal, Oil, Gas, etc. He can survive as long as these energy sources are readily available. However, his progress is restricted by limited and exhaustible resources. Currently, most of us are Bobs, the earthly creatures.

Nevertheless, some of us are semi-Pauls. Why semi? Because we have progressed from Bobs but not yet evolved to Paul. In other words, we are maturing into Paul slowly. 

But who is Paul? Paul is the stellar man who can use the planet’s energy and the energy of the planetary system associated with the star, the Sun. You might wonder, the world has Solar panels, so how are we not yet Pauls? Earth receives an average of 257 Trillion kWh of energy daily from the Sun. That figure is roughly one-fourth of the Shiba Inu Total supply. The global energy demand in a day is around 277 Billion kWh. That means Sun alone gives a thousand times the energy needs of humans! Imagine what the human race can achieve with that level of energy!

Okay! For now, let us leave Paul and those bulky numbers behind. Steve is the smartest and most highly evolved of them all. He is the galactic man who can use the energy of the whole Galaxy itself. That figure is roughly 10^20 times the energy needs of Earth, not just humanity. 

So the ultimate question comes to us, are we in a pole position to become Paul, the stellar man? In my opinion, we are ready, and the growth of technology will determine the fate and future of our civilization.

To make Bitcoin sustainable in energy governance, we need to embrace sources that are renewable in the true sense. Let me put this into perspective. A single bolt of lightning can power a city for a day, and there are at least 40 bolts of lightning occurring each second. Here is the opportunity to leverage alternative, renewable energy sources. Currently, hydropower is the most widely used, and solar energy might take the first place sooner rather than later. 

Perhaps it is too early for Bitcoin or a digital currency to become the reserve asset. Maybe some decades from now, people will look back at us and wonder how we used a piece of paper and hold it as something so valuable. How could we let some people print as many as they want to finance their illusions? Also, how we repeatedly reinforced the story of money and complicated financial systems. Yes, paper money is just another fictional story the whole world chose to believe. 

Back to the Kardashev scale, if the civilization wants to evolve into a galactic species, it is critical to have a positive outlook toward Bitcoin and other cryptos. And sometimes, it is incredible to hope for this abundance, although we have just 21 million of them!