From dominance to ban: The 2021 crackdown China played a pivotal role in global Bitcoin (BTC) mining, accounting for approximately 65% of the world's hashing power in 2020, according to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index. However, in 2021, the Chinese government took decisive action to curb mining activities, citing concerns over financial risks, capital flight, and high electricity consumption. In September of that year, the People’s Bank of China officially declared all cryptocurrency transactions illegal, reinforcing a nationwide ban on mining operations. The immediate fallout was a significant drop in the global Bitcoin hash rate, as many Chinese miners shuttered operations or relocated their hardware to countries like the United States, Kazakhstan, and Russia. Despite China's ban, overall electricity consumption by Bitcoin miners continued to climb, driven by a surge in mining activity elsewhere. Global electricity usage for Bitcoin mining increased from 8...