Is Mozilla navigating murky waters by deciding to dive into dogecoin (DOGE), and cryptocurrencies in general? While its initiative is applauded by the cryptosphere, it is condemned by some of its users who want the browser to stay green.
Mozilla and Dogecoin donations: a firefox that is too polluting for some
On December 31, 2021, the Mozilla Foundation announced in a tweet, that it now accepts donations in dogecoin and other cryptocurrencies through a partnership with crypto payments processor BitPay. The cryptocurrencies received are converted into dollars to avoid exposure to their volatility.
Some twittos did not like this decision of Mozilla at all, citing the negative impacts of cryptocurrencies on the environment. Some Firefox users even threatened Mozilla, indicating that they would change their web browser.
While twittos are outraged at Mozilla’s plunge into cryptocurrencies in the name of environmental preservation, Dogecoin celebrated in its January 2, 2022 tweet, the project’s support with a donation of 163,428 DOGE to MrBeast’s TeamSeas sea preservation campaign. The campaign aims to clean up the oceans, beaches and rivers by removing trash from them.
Cryptos too polluting: between detractors’ favorite myth and reality
Are dogecoin and crypto currencies in general really polluting? Detractors of bitcoin (BTC) often blame it for its energy-intensive mining. They also “forget” to mention, however, that much of the electricity used by bitcoin mining is from renewable energy.
Elon Musk even turned his back on bitcoin in May 2021, reversing his decision to accept payments in bitcoin, which would be too polluting, for the purchase of his Tesla vehicles. He later indicated in a tweet on May 14, 2021, that he was working with DOGE developers to make dogecoin a more environmentally friendly cryptocurrency. Are the billionaire’s intentions really noble or was this green talk mostly aimed at once again pummeling the dogecoin price, an exercise he seems to excel at?
Some protocols like Ethereum have decided to abandon proof of work in favor of proof of participation. They hope to not only solve their scaling problem, but also mention the less energy consuming nature of proof of participation.
Will Mozilla back down in the face of pressure from Internet users? Browsers and web players in general will have to move into “decentralized mode” at some point, however, and embrace cryptocurrencies in some way if they want to remain competitive. The Brave Web Browser (BAT) has a head start in these areas.
