[jgeerts]

That's a straw man argument, you can't change the discussion of YouTube vs Bitcoin to rice fields vs private jets. If you have the freedom to view Bitcoin as an unnecessary luxury I can view YouTube in the same way. Why is no one talking about banning YouTube to save the environment? The price of Bitcoin is suggesting that people see merit in it's use and the hashing power is being used to keep the network safe. It can only be viewed as waste if the argument stands that Bitcoin is unnecessary and I would argue that it's very necessary and more efficient than the current financial system.