[mathiasrw]

The consumption is a result of the greed to get the reward (fee + per block coins) and is not related to how the blockchain is operating.

You can see the carbon footprint from different blockchains on https://coincarboncap.com

[dougmwne]

But the only useful thing BTC does is transfer money/property from one party to another. Take that away and it's nothing at all. The block rewards are just there to operate the network. That the rewards were allowed to get so valuable that they consume the energy equivalent of Norway is a fatal flaw in the design, no?