We can just use renewable energy sources long term. Really don't understand the obsession some people have with the energy requirements of bitcoin mining - please compare these with the energy requirements of the financial systems it replaces.
Bitcoin solves the need for third parties in the financial system. That's it, it's not meant to be some eco currency - never was.
Where's the validation that the current financial system needs to have its energy needs reduced? Bitcoin cuts out the energy requirements of all the countless third parties, for a start.
> please compare these with the energy requirements of the financial systems it replaces.
I don't have numbers (I suspect it's impossible to do a true apples-to-apples comparison), but I feel like Bitcoin still likely fails by this metric. I recall reading a year or so ago that Bitcoin was using the same amount of electricity as a small developer nation. I expect the other financial systems use more than that in total, but consider that these other financial systems handle orders of magnitude more transaction volume, and include a lot more services than Bitcoin does.
> We can just use renewable energy sources long term.
Renewables aren't free. It costs time, effort, and energy to build the infrastructure (solar panels, windmills, etc.), not to mention caustic chemicals for some of these, which do have negative environmental effects. Maintenance has costs, as does eventual replacement. The land required to house these production farms also is not free.
Yes, the energy produced by renewables is obviously much much cleaner than that produced by other means, but they still have costs.
The SEC has come out to say that BTC and ETH 1.0 are most likely not violating US securities laws. By moving to proof of stake ETH has lost that stamp of approval. In addition some people argue that POS is violating security laws. Large institutions are far less likely to adopt a cryptocurrency that might run into legal trouble down the line.
Bitcoin solves the need for third parties in the financial system. That's it, it's not meant to be some eco currency - never was.
Where's the validation that the current financial system needs to have its energy needs reduced? Bitcoin cuts out the energy requirements of all the countless third parties, for a start.
POS is a joke.