International Relations Researches

International Relations Researches

The impact of digital currency mining on the environment from the perspective of international law

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Jamile Sadat Mousavi 1
Maryam Afshari 2
Mohammad Reza Alipour 3
1 Doctoral student of Public International Law, Faculty of Law, Theology and Political Sciences, Science and Research Unit, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Member of Faculty of Law Department, Damavand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Public and International Law, Faculty of Law, Theology and Political Sciences, Science and Research Unit, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/irr.2022.368933.2292
Abstract
International law is one of the fields where legal concerns and concerns about a phenomenon are always taken into consideration with a delay.In today's world, the speed of technology and scientific progress is so fast that even the technological fields are sometimes surprised. Now, in such a constantly changing and developing world, the international legal system, especially international environmental law, needs to be more agile.be One of these areas that requires immediate attention is blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, the extraction of each unit of which (for example, Bitcoin) causes the release of a significant amount of greenhouse gases and consumes alotof energy.International law has various documents in the field of controlling greenhouse gas emissions, but the main issue is whether the current legal regime can be applied to the mining of cryptocurrencies.The present article tries tofind a suitable answer to this question, which first tries todraw everyone's attention to this issue by highlighting the destructive effects of cryptocurrency mining from an international perspective;Then examine the existing environmental principles and rules within the scope ofthis article.This research was carried outin a descriptive-analytical way and the findings of the research show that the mining of digital currencies, along with the financial benefits it brings forthe miners, has destructive effects from the environmental point ofview due tothe release ofa large amount of Itis a greenhouse gas.Therefore, the United Nations International Law Commission should, by studying the destructive aspects of such technologies, take necessary measures toregulate them within the framework of international environmental law
Keywords
cryptocurrencies
mining
international environment
international law

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