Our cartoonist's take on the severe economic crises facing certain Middle East economies
Our cartoonist's take on the severe economic crises facing certain Middle East economies
Our cartoonist's take on the severe economic crises facing certain Middle East economies
Our cartoonist's take on the severe economic crises facing certain Middle East economies


Cartoon for July 21, 2021


The National
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July 20, 2021


What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.

The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers. 

Updated: July 20, 2021, 4:45 PM