Petro’s Eco-Crypto Alarm: Climate Collapse Looms?

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Colombian President Gustavo Petro, sounding like a clerk who has misplaced his ledger but not his conscience, declared that the future of bitcoin mining must be ecological; Paraguay and Venezuela, blessed with abundant green energy, are fluttering into the sector like debutantes at a charity ball. He also warned, in a voice that could chill a radiator, about the consequences of powering such pursuits with fossil fuels.

  • Key Takeaways:

  • Colombia’s Petro warned that fossil-fueled Bitcoin mining risks global climate collapse.
  • Paraguay holds the fourth largest global hashrate, while Venezuela’s energy crisis has put mining on hold.
  • Petro envisions three Caribbean cities mining Bitcoin, though the 2026 Hashrate Index omits Colombia.

Petro Highlights Venezuelan and Paraguayan Potential For Energy Mining

Cryptocurrency mining, that global carnival of computation, has attracted the gaze of world leaders who offer opinions on its future with the fervor of a curate preaching at a parish bazaar.

Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s controversial leader, took to the social ether to reiterate the necessity of green sources to power these energy-heavy theatrics.

Petro warned that “if virtual currencies rely on fossil fuels, global warming and climate collapse will erupt.”

Moreover, he emphasized that countries with untapped clean energy-Venezuela and Paraguay among them-are attracting bitcoin mining investments. Paraguay, boasting the fourth largest hashrate, lags only behind the heavyweights like the U.S., Russia, and China, while Venezuela languishes outside the top ten.

Paraguay has exploited its abundant hydroelectric resources from the Iguazu dam-one of the world’s most prodigious-to offer energy prices remarkably agreeable, ranging from $0.037 to $0.050 per kWh.

Venezuela, meanwhile, has recently banned bitcoin mining as its government wrestles with an energy crisis, with demand soaring to a nine-year peak. Yet reports suggest there could be mining near generation sources, attempting to leverage power that cannot be easily transported because of a regrettable lack of infrastructure.

“Bitcoin mining is the method by which an individual, using powerful computers, can accumulate Bitcoin through virtual transactions. This could be the case for Santa Marta, Riohacha, and Barranquilla… it represents an immense boost to the development of the Caribbean region,” Petro concluded.

While Hashrate Index’s The State of Bitcoin Mining in Latin America (2026) highlights mining developments in Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Venezuela, and El Salvador, it omits Colombia. This omission, one suspects, marks Colombia as virgin territory for bitcoin mining, and the nation still lacks the conditions for the industry to flourish-with all the charm of an empty drawing room at a provincial party.

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2026-05-10 08:29