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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Alex Hern

How does ethereum’s ‘merge’ make the cryptocurrency greener?

representation of Ethereum
The ethereum blockchain has switched from using ‘proof of work’, pioneered by bitcoin, to ‘proof of stake’. Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency, has completed a plan to drastically reduce its carbon emissions through a software upgrade known as “the merge”.

Here we explain what has changed and what the implications might be.

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