• Bitcoin Mining Council has released quarterly reports showing that Bitcoin is powered by 60% green energy.
• Virunga National Park has become the first national park in the world to recognize the potential of Bitcoin mining.
• The park’s director, Emmanuel de Merode, explains that the park has been hard-pressed in recent years and desperately needed money.
Virunga National Park, located in the middle of the Congo Basin and the second largest rainforest in the world after the Amazon, has become the first national park in the world to recognize the potential of Bitcoin mining. This bold move is a testament to the advantages Bitcoin can bring to an area that is in desperate need of resources and foreign investment.
The Bitcoin Mining Council, initiated by Michael Saylor, recently released quarterly reports showing that Bitcoin is powered by almost 60% green energy. This is a significant step towards alleviating the concerns of those who criticized the energy consumption of Bitcoin mining.
The park is in a volatile region known for corruption and increasing deforestation, where foreign investment is as rare as power grids and a stable government. The park’s director, Emmanuel de Merode, explains that due to the loss of tourist revenue from disease outbreaks such as Ebola, the lockdown due to COVID-19, and kidnappings by rebels, the park has been hard-pressed in recent years and desperately needed money. As such, de Merode decided to bet big on Bitcoin mining, which is powered by a giant hydroelectric plant on the same mountain as the park.
Thousands of powerful computers have been housed in 10 shipping containers that sit in the middle of the jungle. This Bitcoin mine has the potential to bring in much-needed funds to support nature, the park’s endangered mountain gorillas, and the resident community. Not only that, but it also has the potential to drive sustainable developments in the region, such as the construction of roads, schools, and health centers.
It remains to be seen if other national parks will follow Virunga’s example and use Bitcoin mining as a way to bring in much-needed funds. However, this is a prime example of how Bitcoin mining can do big wonders, even on a small scale. With the Bitcoin Mining Council’s reports showing that the majority of Bitcoin mining is powered by green energy, it is clear that there are many potential benefits to be gained from this technology.