Global mining of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin consumes more electricity than many populous countries such as Pakistan, according to a new UN study. Forecasts from July estimate that more than 135 terawatt hours (TWh) will be needed for bitcoin mining worldwide in 2023, said a group of researchers led by Kaveh Madani from the Institute for Water, Environment and Health at the United Nations University in Hamilton, Canada. According to the team’s findings published in the journal Earth’s Future, most of the electricity used for the mining of the cryptocurrency comes from fossil fuels, meaning Bitc…