Campaigners call for bitcoin miners to drop 'proof of work' to reduce their excessive use of energyHaobtc's site manager checks mining equipment inside a bitcoin mine. Paul Ratje/For The Washington Post via Getty Image
Bitcoin rival ethereum has hit delays in its own switch to proof-of-stake from a proof-of-work process.Greenpeace and other climate groups launched a campaign on Tuesday to tackle the excessive energy use in bitcoin mining by encouraging a change in how new coins are created. Chris Larsen, the co-founder of Ripple, has pledged $5 million to finance the campaign. Meanwhile, climate activist groups including Greenpeace USA and the Environmental Working Group will coordinate the effort with local organisations.
"If only 30 people — the key miners, exchanges, and core developers who build and contribute to bitcoin's code — agreed to reinvent proof-of-work mining or move to a low-energy protocol, bitcoin would stop polluting the planet," campaigners said.