Bitcoin is mined or created through a highly energy-intensive process, known as ‘proof of work’. In order to win the right to create new Bitcoins, enthusiasts must solve increasingly complex mathematical puzzles that require energy-hungry computers, called ASIC systems. The amount of energy used globally to make Bitcoin work is extraordinary: we’re talking the same carbon footprint as the entire country of Argentina, according to Oxford University researchers. To put in other terms, each bitcoin transaction is estimated to produce enough energy as an average US household would consume in 75 days.