How Does the Energy Consumption of PoW and PoS Compare in the Context of Economic Security?

PoW uses massive energy consumption as a security mechanism, ensuring the 'cost to attack' is high. The energy is an external, real-world cost.

PoS uses minimal energy for transaction validation. Its security comes from the economic cost of acquiring and risking the native asset (slashing).

While PoS is vastly more energy-efficient, the lower energy barrier means the economic security relies entirely on the value of the staked asset and the threat of the protocol's self-punishment.