区块链有足以颠覆时代的力量却也有弱势的一环：巨大的碳足迹。据估计，一笔比特币 (Bitcoin) 交易将耗费一个典型美国家庭超过78天的电力。为此，比特币和以太坊 (Ethereum) 不断被轰击。然而，我们很少听到有关Polygon和Immutable X这样环保的第 2 层扩展解决方案。两者能快速交易，使用极少的能源。别忘了还有碳中性区块链，如Tezos和Cardano。这些区块链消耗的能源较少，保护地球生态。比特币是加密货币的开山祖师，不能老拿2009年的丰田Corolla与2022年的特斯拉Polestar对比。无论如何，比特币正在结束其 "暴政"。它的总数2100万枚，只剩下200万枚未采矿。与此同时，以太坊刚刚升级。信标链 （Beacon Chain）上线，以太坊终于变得更节能。以太坊已经放弃工作量证明的共识机制（Proof-Of-Work，极为消耗能源），转为权益证明（Proof-Of-Stake，非常节能）。面对科技的进化应该坦然以对，得以改善生活。新科技将带来一个更加美好的世界。果断拒绝，吃亏的只是自己。早期的互联网不也被狂批太缓慢和繁琐吗？看看今天！24/7自动取款机和网上银行消耗大量能源，破坏环境。难道这意味着我们应该放弃这些科技吗？问题的根源在于我们缺乏可再生能源。有了绿色能源，这些科技将少产生污染，保护生态环境。环保和科技不该是二元对立。其实区块链可以协助我们对抗全球暖化。智能合约可以通过 "预言机 " (Oracle)与现实数据互动，并奖励农民的绿化行动。我知道区块链带来的问题远不止于环境。洗黑钱、不良信息、缺乏监管只是几个例子。在公有链上，每一笔交易都透明化。洗黑钱根本行不通。至于不良信息，过滤是一种预防措施。以比特币区块链为例，新交易会先被审查是否有重复消费。同样，对数据进行过滤可以防止不良信息侵入区块链。区块链的治理，无论是链上还是链下，是为了在去中心化中加以管束。2016年以太坊被黑客侵入之后，管理层能够 "重置 "区块链，并进行纠正。许多人说，起步阶段就把科技推出是不负责任的。我不同意。我们的母亲先把我们生下来，才在成长过程中灌输价值观。新科技也是如此。茫茫网络间的FUD（恐惧 fear、未知 uncertainty 和疑惑 doubt）让人不知归处。区块链还有很长的路要走。

我们一起走下去吧！

I write for a living. Today, I write for ranting. 

Blockchain is heralded as a world-changing technology - though not always in a good way. It has such a massive carbon footprint. A single Bitcoin transaction is estimated to use up the power of a typical US household for over 78 days. We feel the heat from the constant blasting of Bitcoin and Ethereum. On and on. And on. Yet we seldom hear about eco-friendly layer 2 solutions like Polygon and Immutable X. They speed up transactions and use much less energy. Then there are carbon-neutral blockchains like Tezos and Cardano. These blockchains consume less energy too, making them sustainable platforms. Bitcoin is the OG of crypto. We cannot pit a 2009 Toyota Corolla against a 2022 Tesla Polestar. Anyway, Bitcoin is ending its ‘tyranny’. Its supply is hard-capped at 21 million coins and only two million are left for mining. Ethereum has upgraded. The Beacon Chain merged with the current chain and it became energy-efficient. Ethereum has ditched Proof-Of-Work (an energy guzzler ensuring the blockchain’s integrity) to Proof-Of-Stake (a more efficient method). Blockchain technology is a work-in-progress and developers calibrate along the way. Don’t say ‘No’ to new technology. Say ‘Maybe’ and give it a chance to make life better. The early Internet was criticized for being slow and cumbersome. Look at where we are today! 24/7 ATMs and online banking are not exactly friendly to our planet. Does that mean we should banish them altogether? The root of the problem is that we lack renewable energy sources. With green energy, these technologies will clean up their act. As ironic as it sounds,  blockchain can help in our fight against climate change. Smart contracts interact with real-life data through ‘oracles’ and reward farmers for sustainable practices. I know the decay of blockchain festers far beyond the environment. Money laundering, undesirable information, lack of regulation - just to name a few. Keep calm and mint on, though. If the blockchain is a public ledger, every transaction is transparent. Laundering money on the blockchain defeats its purpose. As for uncensored material, filtering is a measure that prevents illegal content from entering the blockchain. Using the Bitcoin blockchain as an example, new transactions are checked for double spending. Likewise, checks on the legality of data prevent undesirable information from recording on the blockchain. Blockchain governance, either on-chain or off-chain, strives to establish control amid decentralization. Following a hack on Ethereum in 2016, the management was able to ‘reset’ the blockchain and put matters right. Many say that it is irresponsible to roll out the technology in such an infancy. But remember. Our mothers give birth to us first and instil values as we grow up. For the FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) out there, I do not have a convincing answer. Blockchain technology is full of challenges and we will figure it out eventually. We will. 

Have faith in humanity.