Bitcoin could cost us our clean-energy future

The digital currency is slowing our effort to achieve a rapid transition away from fossil fuels.

Haobtc’s bitcoin mine site manager, Guo-hua, checks mining equipment inside their bitcoin mine near Kongyuxiang, Sichuan, China — Paul Ratje/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

By Eric Holthaus

If you’re like me, you’ve probably been ignoring the bitcoin phenomenon for years — because it seemed too complex, far-fetched, or maybe even too libertarian. But if you have any…