Sustainable Blockchain Technologies

The Blockchain technology has been hyped substantially in media during the recent years, both in connection to its use in Bitcoin, but also as a technology in its own right. This is an emerging technology for secure and free transactions of products based on the collaborative effort of a network of users and – according to technology experts – is expected to bring radical societal changes. Financial, IT, and start-up companies are dedicating much attention and resources to the development of Blockchain-based applications, both worldwide and in Denmark. However, solid scientific studies estimating the effects of expected Blockchain applications are currently lacking and, due to the rapid widespread of the technology, are urgently needed in order to anticipate potential unwanted environmental and social consequences. Thus, the project investigates what environmental and social impacts the Blockchain technology will have as alternative or substitute of currently available technologies. The project is funded by grant no. 7015-00006B of The Danish Council for Independent Research – Social Sciences.