$BTC Consensus between nodes is achieved using a computationally intensive system based on proof-of-work called mining. Bitcoin mining requires increasing quantities of electricity[5] and was responsible for 0.2% of world greenhouse gas emissions as of 2022.[6][7]
Based on a free market ideology, bitcoin was invented in 2008 by Satoshi Nakamoto, an unknown person.[8] Use of bitcoin as a currency began in 2009,[9] with the release of its open-source implementation.[10]: ch. 1 In 2021, El Salvador adopted it as legal tender.[4] Bitcoin is currently used more as a store of value and less as a medium of exchange or unit of account. It is mostly seen as an investment and has been
