温哥华的肯·西姆（Ken Sim）正在努力投影技术前线图像

温哥华的市长肯·西姆（Ken Sim）正在努力投影技术前瞻性的图像，穿着T恤，使用耳机麦克风，甚至在他的办公室里保持运动自行车。

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.

温哥华市长肯·西姆（Ken Sim）以呈现技术前瞻性图像而闻名，无论是通过他的T恤，耳机麦克风，甚至是他办公室里的运动骑行。这个角色在很大程度上符合他最近的加密货币的推动。

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领导的美国广播公司（ABC）少数委员会通过了一项动议，指示工作人员调查是否可以将温哥华成为“比特币友好的城市”。调查将包括诸如可以用比特币和各种数字资产进行纽约市的税收或员工付款之类的东西，并且有可能包括该市是否应使用其一些盈余资金投资于比特币或其他数字资产。

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.

该建议引起了一些兴奋，但仍然主要是象征性的。将加密货币纳入市政交易的真正努力将需要省政府的批准，这似乎极不可能。但是，预计市工作人员将在本月底之前通过一份报告返回，并且在4月5日即将举行的补选，这可能会给SIM带来更强的多数席位，并可以帮助您获得更多的吸引力。

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.

加密货币的核心是数字资产，可以交易，有时还可以花费。它们基于复杂的加密代码，以防止伪造。但是，作为迪拜的15亿美元黑客攻击，这是历史上最大的已知盗窃案 - 向我们展示了加密货币交易所，并不能摆脱黑客攻击的风险。

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.

加密货币的关键问题是它会产生负面的环境影响。加密代币是通过称为“采矿”的过程生产的，该过程需要巨大的昼夜计算机网络才能消耗大量电力。 2023年，在加密货币开采中使用的全球能源消费约为200多个小时，与中等收入国家消耗的总能量大致相同。加密货币公司可能会声明他们使用“清洁能源”，但批评家认为加密货币公司能源使用的负面影响只是绿化。

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.

至关重要的是，SIM的断言，即加密所需的能源消耗可能导致不列颠哥伦比亚省的新可再生能源项目被误导了 - 清洁能源项目和倡议不受对能源需求的限制，并且应使用可再生能源来取代污染能源，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.

与加密货币相关的另一个核心挑战是它们总缺乏基本价值。与房地产，股票甚至贵金属不同，加密货币没有实际的经济目的。大多数加密持有人都在猜测，根本不花加密货币。该猜测产生了极端的价格波动，加密货币的价格始终在价格上急剧下降，或者在几天内损失或获得50％的价值。这是因为它的价格仅仅是由投资者的情绪驱动的，就像庞氏骗局一样，其可持续性仅取决于新的买家的进来。