I looked into your statement about bitcoin mining preventing methane emissions and it doesn't add up to me. Oil drillers already flare the methane, which turns it into carbon dioxide. The solution these bitcoin miners are implementing is to burn the methane in a controlled manner so they can harness the energy produced for electricity to mine bitcoin. The same chemical reaction occurs, converting methane into carbon dioxide. The companies internal research claims this reduces carbon dioxide equivalent units, but I'm pretty skeptical. Of course, they would want their research to show they are doing something good. Sure, I guess it is more useful to harness the energy than to just burn it fruitlessly, but I don't see how it reduces emissions. Is there something I'm missing as to why this would make sense?
I have been on oil and gas pads and drill sites. Flares have significant incomplete combustion. A financial incentive (lots outside north America) to pipe it into a generator encourages those with troublesome gas leaks to fix it.
If you release the CO2 into the atmosphere, it doesn't really reduce emissions. However, because miners can harness the energy in a profitable way, they could afford to sequester or scrub the CO2. That would make oil and gas companies look a little greener, which is even more of an incentive. I believe some miners are doing this already.
They may or may not be able to afford to sequester the carbon. Even if they do that (and I have never heard before that they do), in the long run would surely be out-competed by other miners who don't bother.
