Learn more about BPI Fellow Margot Paez in the latest installment of our Meet the Fellows series.
What do you do for work?
I do research on bitcoin mining's climate and energy impacts.
How did you wind up in your current role?
Largely due to luck and networking. I was invited to be part of the first cohort of BPI fellows back just before BPI launched. I think it also helped that I am one of the few scientists in the space that thinks bitcoin can do good for the planet.
What are your most significant intellectual interests aside from Bitcoin?
I'm on the spectrum so my interests are fairly limited to whatever is my current intense interest. Right now it's bitcoin, so all of my intellectual energy goes to that. I do think about how it could tie to ecological economics and anarchist thought. I'm not sure if art is considered an intellectual interest, but I also draw, so I do spend time thinking about where my graphite pencils are made.
How have your views on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency broadly changed over time?
I would say that instead of how have my views on bitcoin changed over time, I would like to answer the question: "How has bitcoin changed my views over time?" My answer to this question is that it's really changed my understanding of markets and money. This in turn has shifted my view on how we should solve problems around basic needs like housing, education, healthcare, etc.
What misconception about Bitcoin do you hear most from your colleagues?
Bitcoin is so awful it's melting the planet and it's just for speculation.
What misconception about Bitcoin or the subject of your research do you hear most from Bitcoin enthusiasts?
Bitcoin is digital energy is one common misconception! I think we often oversimplify what it takes for bitcoin to have an impact on reducing emissions and that there are serious complications around knowing whether oil and gas field mining is actually capable of reducing emissions.
What are your hopes for the future of BPI?
Many years of great success! I hope that BPI will make a powerful impact on policy and public understanding of what bitcoin is and what it can actually do.
Favorite novel?
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Favorite U.S. President?
President Dwayne Camacho
Who is your biggest intellectual influence?
David Graeber and Carl Sagan
