It’s not the first time proposals to switch the Bitcoin network from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake have been voiced. In fact, a similar thing was done last September by the Etherium blockchain, which after the upgrade consumed 99.9 per cent less power.

Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen had previously come up with a similar idea for BTC. He, among other things, donated $5 million to a related campaign, but ended up facing criticism from the cryptocurrency community. Still, Bitcoin fans appreciate that the first cryptocurrency’s network continues to operate in the canons of its anonymous developer Satoshi Nakamoto. Well, the move to PoS would be seen as a rejection of the original Bitcoin idea, something that most participants in the blockchain scene would certainly not accept.

What Bitcoin is being criticised for

Greenpeace previously announced a collaboration with art activist Benjamin Von Wong, who supported the push to move Bitcoin to Proof-of-Stake (PoS). Wong was involved in the creation of an artwork called Satoshi Skull, a 3.3-metre tall skull with a Bitcoin logo and red laser eyes.

The laser eyes are a popular meme in the BTC enthusiast community. It's added to their avatars by those people who believe in Bitcoin's rise to $100,000 and generally adore the first cryptocurrency.

The sculpture accommodates many other references. For example, the many tangled wires and boards represent a tribute to the role of electronic waste in pollution. There are also references to the coal-fired power plants that miners use to power their cryptocurrency mining devices.

According to Cointelegraph’s sources, Greenpeace’s marketing campaign turned out to be a “shot in the arm”: not only did the sculpture fail to impress, but crypto-enthusiasts also liked it. For example, Will Foxley, director of media strategy at mining company Compass Mining, called the artwork “cool” and changed his Twitter profile picture to “Satoshi Skull”.

A user under the pseudonym magic internet moneyist found several interesting details in the sculpture. In particular, no ASIC miners were used in its creation, only motherboards from personal computers and other electronics.

On top of the “Satoshi Skull” are the pipes of a nuclear power plant, which release water vapour. What is particularly amusing is that nuclear power is one of the cleanest in terms of pollution for the environment. Accordingly, the author of the sculpture, along with his Greenpeace colleagues, clearly did not do any research on the subject before attempting to criticise the digital assets.

Greenpeace’s own campaign to move Bitcoin to PoS began a year ago. In that time there has been no change on the issue, well the Proof-of-Work (PoW) algorithm is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. At the same time, the cryptocurrency code remains open, so anyone can submit a proposal to change the consensus algorithm on the Bitcoin network.

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The crypto industry is enduring attacks from various sides – including the White House. As we reported, the day before, US President Joe Biden’s administration published its annual economic report, in which a whole section was devoted to criticism of digital assets. However, there are more positive initiatives among US lawmakers. In particular, in response, Congressman Tom Emmer introduced his bill, which would exempt cryptocurrency companies from unnecessary financial reporting.

Emmer wants to make blockchain-related developers and service providers safe. But there is an important detail here: those who are not involved in storing or transferring customer funds are covered by the bill. The bill states that such parties should not be considered payment platforms or financial institutions, nor should they be subject to registration and licensing requirements unless they are directly involved in the custody of crypto assets.

Here’s Emmer’s quote on the subject. CryptoPotato cites the replica.

If you’re not storing consumer funds, you’re not a payment platform. The bill provides that necessary certainty for miners, validators, wallet software providers and the entire blockchain ecosystem.

Recall that in November 2021, Biden’s infrastructure bill included a clause imposing information requirements on “brokers” of digital assets. Critics of the bill argued that the term “broker” is broad enough to theoretically apply to miners, validators and even developers, for whom it would be impossible to meet such requirements.

A consortium of pro-crypto politicians tried to revise the wording of the bill before it was passed, but without success. Supporters of the new Emmer bill therefore believe that it will bring some clarity. The latter will be needed to ensure that the crypto industry doesn’t leave the US for good.


We believe that Greenpeace's campaign will end in nothing, as decentralisation aficionados are unlikely to agree with any of the demands of a particular organisation. Accordingly, senseless attacks on BTC will continue to occur as long as the organization's representatives continue to use the budget at their disposal. Therefore, one should be prepared for them for the future as well.