[_0ffh]

The energy cost is really only a problem for on-chain transactions. Technologies like the lightning network can greatly mitigate that problem.

[paulryanrogers]

Doesn't that mitigation introduce more centralization though?

[_0ffh]

Not that I'm aware of. The lightning network seems to be a fairly decentral affair to me. Still I suggest you make up your own mind by perusing https://lightning.network/

[paulryanrogers]

So the arbitration still occurs on the blockchain? Seems like maintaining all these different ledgers adds a lot of complexity when a better solution may be a non-Bitcoin, or even non-blockchain DB.

[_0ffh]

Sure. But that's still potentially multiple orders of magnitude fewer on-chain transactions than without. I'd call that a quite efficient mitigation.