The following article was derived from an academic essay written to highlight the most common criticisms of cryptocurrency mining due to its perceived impact on the environment. The arguments made in defense of mining are channeled through discussion of Bitcoin’s mining infrastructure but can also be extended to networks such as Ethereum, Dogecoin, and other layer-one, proof-of-work blockchains as well. In debunking these claims we also attempt to defend the role of NFTs and Decentralized Fin...