Bitcoin (BTC) is the first decentralized cryptocurrency. Nodes in the peer-to-peer Bitcoin network verify transactions through cryptography and record them in a public distributed ledger, called a blockchain, without central oversight. Consensus between nodes is achieved using a computationally intensive process based on proof of work, called mining, which guarantees the security of the Bitcoin blockchain. Mining consumes large quantities of electricity and has been criticized for its environmental effects (Times TNY, Bitcoin uses more electricity than many countries. How is that possible? Tech. rep. (2021b). https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/03/climate/bitcoin-carbon-footprint-electricity.html ).