The Bitcoin Hot Tub
I’m starting to really notice how supposedly “intangible” technologies can have a very tangible impact on our planet’s natural resources. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how so-called “cloud” services are literally sucking communities dry of their water. Huge server farms located in the desert using as much water as a city of 30–50,000 people? Doesn’t feel like the “cloud” to me! The irony is shocking and would be laughable if it weren’t so terribly sad and wrong.
So I was disappointed again when a colleague sent me this article about one of the famous Finger Lakes in New York State, which is being turned upside down by yet another unnecessary environmental mess. It seems that a company bought a power generation plant on the lake and devoted it to “mining” bitcoin, which takes massive processing power — with the amounts necessary continually increasing. The facility already runs more than 8,000 computers, and its owners are looking to add even more.
Well, stop me if you’ve heard this one before: lots of computers require lots of cooling. This time there’s no desert — there’s ample water in the lake — but running thousands of computers 24/7 means significant amounts of heat get pumped into the water, which has a major environmental impact. One resident near the plant was quoted as saying that the lake has become so warm “you feel like you’re in a hot tub.” The plant is allowed to discharge up to 135 million gallons of water daily at temperatures of up to 108°F. Oh, and there’s also air pollution to contend with from burning fuel.
So, once again, what’s supposed to be purely electronic and ephemeral is doing real damage to the real-world environment. Does it really make sense for us to damage our precious natural resources for this?
Isn’t our climate warming fast enough without this added on top? And what are we getting out of it? It’s not like this plant is generating essential electricity for homes. We’re polluting a lake and the air around it for invisible money? I don’t get it.
It’s bad enough that big tech has gone unregulated and unfettered while democracy hangs in the wings. Now we have to deal with server farms in unsustainable locations and power plants for invisible money sucking the lifeblood out of our communities.
If you think this is wrong, write to your senator and your local representatives. Vote out local authorities who persist in selling out their towns and constituents for projects that don’t bring in jobs and cause harm to local communities that can last for generations. Water is a precious resource that shouldn’t be taken for granted, whether it’s evaporating away or just getting warmed to the point where ecosystems get damaged. Take the time to speak up for the right use of Mother Nature’s resources, and put an end to wrong use like the examples I’ve been writing about here.