A Climate Change Debate with Nate Harmon and Steve Barbour - WBD589

Nate Harmon is CEO and cofounder of OceanBit; Steve Barbour is
CEO and founder of Upstream Data; both are Bitcoiners. In this
interview, we debate climate change: the reliability of climate
models, climate change mitigation, adaptation and the forecast
inequality of climate change impacts.


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What Bitcoin Did has discussed both sides of the climate change
debate with a number of esteemed guests. The reasoning is
two-fold: firstly, one of Bitcoin’s major attack vectors is
energy use and associated climate change impacts; secondly, it is
one of the major issues of our time, arguably the most pressing
issue. These shows have either expressed one side or another,
until now.


Bitcoiners are a broad church. That is an inherent strength. But
is also brings its own internal pressures. Whilst there is broad
consensus on Bitcoin’s mission, there are divergent opinions on a
host of other issues that this new form of money affects. None
more so than climate change. Many believe in the need for fossil
fuels to enable humans to continue to flourish; others argue that
we need to rapidly pivot from fossil fuel reliance if we’re to
avoid an existential crisis.


However, the debate is not open-ended. There is a strong argument
that the framing of the current discussion falls within agreed
boundaries. It doesn’t feel contentious to state both sides of
the debate within the Bitcoin community agree that abundant
energy is needed and that the climate is warming. The
disagreement is focused on the rate of climate change and the
approach to mitigation.


Obviously, whilst there is agreement that narrows the parameters
of any debate, the outstanding issues are complex, contentious
and critical. The stakes on both sides are high; discussion and
compromise are vital. Can we within the community find common
ground? Is it possible to attenuate the growing animosity around
this subject? Can Bitcoiners lead the way in being open-minded,
receptive and malleable to different ideas? Let’s start engaging
and find out.