溫哥華的肯·西姆（Ken Sim）正在努力投影技術前線圖像

溫哥華的市長肯·西姆（Ken Sim）正在努力投影技術前瞻性的圖像，穿著T卹，使用耳機麥克風，甚至在他的辦公室裡保持運動自行車。

Mayor Ken Sim of Vancouver is known for presenting a tech-forward image, be it through his T-shirts, headset microphones, or even the exercise bicycle in his office. This persona is largely in keeping with his recent push for cryptocurrencies.

溫哥華市長肯·西姆（Ken Sim）以呈現技術前瞻性圖像而聞名，無論是通過他的T卹，耳機麥克風，甚至是他辦公室裡的運動騎行。這個角色在很大程度上符合他最近的加密貨幣的推動。

In December, the ABC-majority council led by Sim passed a motion that directed staff to investigate whether Vancouver could be made a “bitcoin-friendly city.” The investigation would include things like whether or not the city’s tax collection or staff payments could be made in Bitcoin and various digital assets, and would potentially include whether the city should invest in bitcoin or other digital assets with some of its surplus funds.

12月，由SIM領導的美國廣播公司（ABC）少數委員會通過了一項動議，指示工作人員調查是否可以將溫哥華成為“比特幣友好的城市”。調查將包括諸如可以用比特幣和各種數字資產進行紐約市的稅收或員工付款之類的東西，並且有可能包括該市是否應使用其一些盈餘資金投資於比特幣或其他數字資產。

This proposal has created some excitement, but it is still mostly symbolic. A real effort to incorporate cryptocurrencies into municipal transactions would require the approval of the provincial government, which appears to be extremely unlikely. However, city staff are expected to return with a report by the end of the month, and there is also an upcoming byelection on April 5, which may give Sim a stronger majority, and could help this gain more traction.

該建議引起了一些興奮，但仍然主要是像徵性的。將加密貨幣納入市政交易的真正努力將需要省政府的批准，這似乎極不可能。但是，預計市工作人員將在本月底之前通過一份報告返回，並且在4月5日即將舉行的補選，這可能會給SIM帶來更強的多數席位，並可以幫助您獲得更多的吸引力。

At their core, cryptocurrencies are digital assets that can be traded and sometimes spent. They are based on complex encryption codes to prevent counterfeiting. But, as a $1.5 billion hack in Dubai—that’s the largest known theft of any kind in history—shows us, crypto exchanges are not free from the risks of hacking.

加密貨幣的核心是數字資產，可以交易，有時還可以花費。它們基於復雜的加密代碼，以防止偽造。但是，作為迪拜的15億美元黑客攻擊，這是歷史上最大的已知盜竊案 - 向我們展示了加密貨幣交易所，並不能擺脫黑客攻擊的風險。

The key problem with cryptocurrency is that it creates negative environmental effects. Crypto tokens are produced through a process called “mining,” which requires immense networks of computers powered day and night to consume significant amounts of electricity. In 2023, global consumption of energy utilized in cryptocurrency mining was about 200 terawatt-hours, approximately the same as total energy consumed by a middle-income country. Cryptocurrency companies may state they use “clean energy,” yet critics argue that the negative effects of crypto companies’ energy use is just greenwashing.

加密貨幣的關鍵問題是它會產生負面的環境影響。加密代幣是通過稱為“採礦”的過程生產的，該過程需要巨大的晝夜計算機網絡才能消耗大量電力。 2023年，在加密貨幣開採中使用的全球能源消費約為200多個小時，與中等收入國家消耗的總能量大致相同。加密貨幣公司可能會聲明他們使用“清潔能源”，但批評家認為加密貨幣公司能源使用的負面影響只是綠化。

Critically, Sim’s assertion that the energy consumption required for crypto could result in new renewable energy projects in British Columbia is misguided—clean energy projects and initiatives are not constrained by demand for energy, and renewable energy should be used to displace polluting energy sources, not to use more.

至關重要的是，SIM的斷言，即加密所需的能源消耗可能導致不列顛哥倫比亞省的新可再生能源項目被誤導了 - 清潔能源項目和倡議不受對能源需求的限制，並且應使用可再生能源來取代污染能源，而不是使用更多。

Another core challenge associated with cryptocurrencies is their total absence of base value. Unlike real estate, stocks, or even precious metals, crypto has no actual economic purpose. Most crypto holders are speculating and do not spend their crypto at all. The speculation generates extreme price volatility, with crypto consistently swinging dramatically in prices or losing or gaining 50% of value in days. This is because its price is driven simply by investor sentiment, much like a Ponzi scheme, where its sustainability depends solely on new buyers coming in.

與加密貨幣相關的另一個核心挑戰是它們總缺乏基本價值。與房地產，股票甚至貴金屬不同，加密貨幣沒有實際的經濟目的。大多數加密持有人都在猜測，根本不花加密貨幣。該猜測產生了極端的價格波動，加密貨幣的價格始終在價格上急劇下降，或者在幾天內損失或獲得50％的價值。這是因為它的價格僅僅是由投資者的情緒驅動的，就像龐氏騙局一樣，其可持續性僅取決於新的買家的進來。