Document Type : Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor of International Law Department, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

2 P.H.D student in international law, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

10.22059/jplsq.2023.339087.3037

Abstract

The production of greenhouse gases in 2021 has returned to the pre-corona epidemic level, and greenhouse gas emissions are expected to increase by 4.9 percent this year. One of the reasons for this increase is the extraction of cryptocurrencies by relying on the electricity consumed from the burning of fossil fuels and the resulting electronic waste, which has an impact on the environment as a common heritage of mankind and the human right to benefit from a healthy environment. On the other hand, the possibility of the occurrence of international organized crimes by relying on the secrecy of cryptocurrency transactions makes the connection of this issue with other branches of international law even closer. However, the mining of green cryptocurrencies such as Bitgreen can promise a different form of business, stopping the printing of banknotes and preventing the cutting of thousands of trees. Taking into account the structural and normative weaknesses for drafting the treaty regarding the application of restrictions on the extraction of cryptocurrencies and the long way ahead to achieve the goals of this treaty, it seems that it should be resorted to the existing customs and principles of international environmental law and there is hope. to the performance of governments at the national level (such as the imposition of a tax on the mining of cryptocurrencies by the US government), managed this long-term and creeping crisis, which is less tangible, and at the same time stopped denying this existence and took a step towards normalizing the mining and use of cryptocurrencies.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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