Oddbean

You’ve probably seen GreenpeaceUSA's Bitcoin report by now, and my response (if you haven't been blocked). Here’s six things that every environmentalist, Bitcoin advocate, regulator, policymaker and media representative should know about GreenpeaceUSA. I've had this information for over a year, but have held back on going public with it until now because there were initially signs that GreenpeaceUSA would be open to engaging with environmentalists within the Bitcoin community. With them now blocking me from commenting on their tweets, all hope of that has now ended. So here's what I can tell you about GreenpeaceUSA, and their campaign that have not been aired publicly until now, and which may surprise you. Firstly, some context: I’m a former volunteer environmental campaigner with Greenpeace. I once risked arrest to stand up for causes I believed in, including an anti-GMO campaign against McDonalds which was successful within 6 weeks, and hailed as an example of how creative direct action can yield fast results. One of the differences: we talked to McDonalds (something no one at GreenpeaceUSA is currently doing with the Bitcoin community). I know a number of people in the environmental movement, and I would like to thank them for their honesty in whistleblowing on a thoroughly misguided campaign from GreenpeaceUSA from start to finish. 1. GreenpeaceUSA’s campaign does NOT have the backing of Greenpeace International. In fact, other branches have asked questions of GreenpeaceUSA’s tactics, and even said that their campaign is damaging the Greenpeace brand, and has resulted in the loss of subscriptions. 2. Within GreenpeaceUSA, there are a growing number of voices of discontent. There is a growing division between some of the younger crypto-neutral or crypto-friendly millennial in their base, and the directorship of GreenpeaceUSA 3. As we know, GreenpeaceUSA did receive a $5Million donation from Ripple’s chair Chris Larsen to run an anti-Bitcoin campaign. What you probably do not know is that within Greenpeace, several staff have questioned whether this is ethical, or in the spirit of an organization that says it relies only on grassroots funding in its sign-up pledge. 4. Some members of EWG and SierraClub, particularly younger members, were not enamoured with their organization’s collusion with GreenpeaceUSA’s “Change the Code” campaign. EWG has not engaged in anti-Bitcoin rhetoric since 6 April ‘23. 5. The head of GreenpeaceUSA’s “Change the Code” campaign has stepped down and is no longer any part of GreenpeaceUSA. At the time of his stepping down he was reported by a source within GreenpeaceUSA to be questioning the wisdom of the campaign. 6. Within GreenpeaceUSA, we know from multiple inside sources that the Change the Code campaign has been widely acknowledged to have been “not particularly successful”. GreenpeaceUSA’s campaign got off on the wrong foot right from the start, by antagonising environmentalists within the Bitcoin community, such as me. Here’s its half-time report (TL;DR, the worst performing environmental campaign I’ve ever witnessed). https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/greenpeace-environment-attacks-help-bitcoin… Now, the campaign is in more disarray than ever, resorting to tenuous ad hominem attacks against Satoshi Action, based on the discover that one of their supporters is a climate denier. True. Well, guess what: one of their supporters is also a plant-based, tree-hugging, climate-activist & meditation teacher: me. That’s the beauty of Bitcoin: it pulls people in from across the political spectrum: we are as diverse as society itself, and that’s what makes us strong. As I wrote recently, “when the ship you’re standing on is sinking: it doesn’t matter if you’re on the left of right side of it.” I hoped GreenpeaceUSA would end their anti-Bitcoin campaign before their credibility and relevance to the new generation of millennials they are currently disenfranchising is completely severed. But it seems at the moment they are more intent on doubling down on misinformation. Their leadership must change for them to ever have hope of becoming a true voice for the environment again.

Far better that they do die and go away since they and all climate crisis hysterical fools have done more to damage real environmentalism than all the big industry and gov evil combined. Climate denier 😆, this term is the perfect example of the retardation of this belief.

TL:DR Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace global don't wholly agree nostr:nevent1qqs0nystjj0zdsn0y9dyyg63mq8u3hgdxng3v2mwk4fjgvc7fghdgmcpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzvupzprlvgf3y0pzmm5n0x6hy7um4prq4m0kq04puux8ccym2h8344ssjqvzqqqqqqyzut299

We @BTCers4future will Show Greenpeace how much Hashpower we got, by changing the code of the incentives underlying our destructive economic system. https://image.nostr.build/7e2ad5779efae2b75b02eefb0c44c46bca90b11a74d3da3f20f354df14f72d35.jpg

I think that's one of the coolest parts about Bitcoin. Even if people have different views on some things, it allows them to establish common ground first. Either you get it and your incentives are aligned, or you don't and will forever be irrelevant. Everything is good for Bitcoin. nostr:note1lxfqh9y7ympx7g26gg34rkq0erws6dx3zc4kad2nyse3uj3w63hs3azjej

thanks Daniel. I admit I was a monthly set-and-forget subscriber. when the change the code piece came out I rage-cancelled. a rep from Greenpeace called and I said I quit specifically due to this stance. I tried saying something like "Bitcoin is not the problem, it is part of the solution" then rambled for a bit, not very effectively. thanks for your work, I'm grateful

Greenpeace is mass blocking bitcoiners on X to avoid getting called out lol nostr:nevent1qqs0nystjj0zdsn0y9dyyg63mq8u3hgdxng3v2mwk4fjgvc7fghdgmcpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqzyz87csnzg7z9hhfx7d4wfaeh2zxptklvql2recv03sfk4w0rttppyqcyqqqqqqg3j5f7g

Here @dsbatten talking about it with @timevalueofbtc #bitcoin #GreenPeace #GreenPeaceUS #skullofsatoshi https://youtu.be/a-1GSirrOGo nostr:nevent1qqs0nystjj0zdsn0y9dyyg63mq8u3hgdxng3v2mwk4fjgvc7fghdgmcpzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezumt0d5hsygy0a3pxy3uyt0wjdum2unmnw5yvzhd7cp758nsclrqnd2u7xkkzzgpsgqqqqqqsalks43

How her science and social media content? I have, gringo scum Social cancers are kinda scary, but don’t let that cancer get out of hand, agent keen. https://www.thedailybeast.com/prince-harry-lawyers-accuse-new-wapo-boss-will-lewis-and-rupert-murdoch-of-hacking-cover-up

Green Peace is too big a name for me, I fought for separate waste collection in Moscow for several years, plastic baskets were installed and after 6 months they were removed by decree of the head of the city, since he received investment from the state. I left a country where there was only corruption, but it is everywhere. I myself try to do what I can, the worst thing is that people don’t want to, but only say. I really hope for Nostra, I hope people will gather here and not a crowd.

Do you still consider the anti-GMO campaign against McDonald's a good thing? It prevented people from enjoying cheaper prices! If it resulted in government actions against GMOs, it constituted aggression against peaceful individuals and violated the non-aggression principle. The freedom of association of GMO producers and consumers is infringed upon by outsiders who believe GMOs are harmful.

GMO producers like Cargill and Bayer (formerly Monsanto)? Like cheaper glyphosate berries? Peaceful individuals that sued a farmer out of business because a patented seed blew into his field and grew, without that farmer paying for the license to grow? non- aggression principle is out of context here, contrarily.

Good post, but disappointed you feel into the trap of branding your colleague with your rival's "climate denier" slur without irony or qualification. In current discourse the term is used against anyone who adopts even moderate views on the topic. Words matter!

Great note. The road to irrelevance is paved with people who have doubled down on Bitcoin bad takes. The community has seen it before - math challenged pizza dividers, Moscow time analytics and an infinite number to Tulip predictions. Stay strong - Bitcoin is a truth machine and false prophets get exposed.

Just happened to be re-reading @Gigi article “The Words We Use in Bitcoin” and I highly recommend the whole article to everyone… “Anyone is and always was free to change the code of Bitcoin. Bitcoin’s free and open-source nature is why we have thousands of forks and clones in the first place, including forks that implement what the #ChangeTheCode campaigners are proposing.” “While this whole campaign to “change the code” shouldn’t be taken seriously in the first place, the tactics behind it shed some light on the attacker’s motivation and on what is yet to come. #ChangeTheCode was funded by Chris Larsen, founder of Ripple, the company that created the shitcoin that is XRP. These kinds of shitcoins can’t compete with Bitcoin on merit because they are permissioned, centralized, and have no reliable monetary policy, among other things. Consequently, they have to resort to smear campaigns and hiring reputational hitmen.” "Bitcoin, however, is neither slow nor wasteful. Proof-of-work is insanely efficient if your goal is to create a monetary system that is free from politics and secured in a public and transparent manner. If you do not value such a system, it will always seem wasteful.” https://dergigi.com/2022/06/27/the-words-we-use-in-bitcoin/