Is bitcoin compatible with ESG investing?

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It is part of a larger global trend where investors are increasingly using non-financial factors as part of their analysis process to identify material risks and growth opportunities in their portfolios.

Bitcoin is not compatible with ESG investing.

Environmental Problems

• Environmental footprint of mining

Social Problems

• Crypto is a market bubble
• Predatory inclusion
• Consumer protections
• Bitcoin is not a currency
• Private money is not sustainable
• Crypto is not build a new financial system

Governance Problems

• Regulatory arbitrage
• Illicit financing
• Money laundering
• Terrorism financing
• Pump and dump schemes
• Market manipulation

References

1. Gallersdörfer, Ulrich, Lena Klaaßen, and Christian Stoll. ‘Accounting for Carbon Emissions Caused by Cryptocurrency and Token Systems’, 2021. https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.06477.
2. Goodkind, Andrew L., Benjamin A. Jones, and Robert P. Berrens. ‘Cryptodamages: Monetary Value Estimates of the Air Pollution and Human Health Impacts of Cryptocurrency Mining’. Energy Research and Social Science 59, no. March 2019 (2020): 101281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.101281.
3. Gallersdörfer, Ulrich, Lena Klaaßen, and Christian Stoll. ‘Accounting for Carbon Emissions Caused by Cryptocurrency and Token Systems’, 2021. https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.06477.
4. Howson, Peter, and Alex de Vries. ‘Preying on the Poor? Opportunities and Challenges for Tackling the Social and Environmental Threats of Cryptocurrencies for Vulnerable and Low-Income Communities’. Energy Research and Social Science 84, no. xxxx (2022): 102394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102394.

• Silverman, Jacob. n.d. ‘Crypto Is Making Everything Worse’. Jacobin. Accessed 20 March 2022. https://jacobinmag.com/2022/03/cryptocurrency-bitcoin-speculative-asset-digitization-metaverse.

1. Küfeoğlu, Sinan, and Mahmut Özkuran. ‘Bitcoin Mining: A Global Review of Energy and Power Demand’. Energy Research and Social Science 58 (2019): 101273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.101273.
2. Schinckus, Christophe. ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: An Overview of the Sustainability of Blockchain Technology’. Energy Research and Social Science 69, no. May (2020): 101614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101614.
3. Vries, Alex De. ‘Bitcoin’s Energy Consumption Is Underestimated : A Market Dynamics Approach’. Energy Research & Social Science 70, no. July (2020): 101721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101721.
4. Vries, Alex de. ‘Bitcoin’s Growing Energy Problem’. Joule 2, no. 5 (2018): 801–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2018.04.016.
5. Vries, Alex de, and Christian Stoll. ‘Bitcoin’s Growing e-Waste Problem’. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 175, no. September (2021): 105901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105901.
6. Wanat, Emanuel. 2021. ‘Are Crypto-Assets Green Enough? – An Analysis of Draft EU Regulation on Markets in Crypto Assets from the Perspective of the European Green Deal’. Osteuropa Recht 67 (2): 237–50. https://doi.org/10.5771/0030-6444-2021-2-237.