What Is the “Energy Consumption” Debate Surrounding PoW?

The "energy consumption" debate surrounding Proof-of-Work (PoW) centers on the immense amount of electricity required for mining cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Critics argue this is environmentally unsustainable, contributing to a significant carbon footprint, as the energy often comes from fossil fuels.

Proponents contend that the high energy use is necessary for network security and decentralization. They also argue it incentivizes the use of cheap, renewable energy sources.