A new study reveals that Chia, a cryptocurrency marketed as an eco-friendly alternative to Bitcoin, may have a carbon footprint up to 18 times larger than the company claimed. The discrepancy stems largely from embodied emissions, which are the carbon costs associated with manufacturing the hard drives used for plotting and farming. While Chia uses proof-of-space-and-time to reduce active electricity consumption, the wear and tear on SSDs leads to frequent hardware replacement. This cycle of electronic waste and production emissions challenges the project's sustainability claims and highlights the importance of full lifecycle carbon accounting in the blockchain industry.
