April 18, 2023

View the recording below or directly on our YouTube channel.

This presentation featured Robert Altenburg, who serves as the director of the PennFuture Energy Center. Since 2021, energy-hungry Bitcoin mining operations have been locating in Pennsylvania, powered largely by polluting fossil fuels. This presentation will introduce basic concepts of cryptocurrency and blockchains, explain why wasting energy is part of Bitcoin’s design, and outline what that means for public health and the environment. Altenburg also discussed what legal and policy tools might be available to address these concerns in an industry that is notoriously difficult to regulate. He has testified on this topic before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety; and has been interviewed by ABC, NBC, The Atlantic, Fortune, Capital & Main, and other media.