Brian Kahn

Senior Editor, Science Desk, WIRED · 1 appearance on the record.

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Brian Kahn is a climate and science journalist who has led reporting desks at Gizmodo's Earther, Protocol, Bloomberg, and WIRED. He covers the intersection of technology and the environment, and has taught at Columbia University's Climate School.

4statements → 3claims → 2claims resolved → 3.75/5average certainty → 2.75/5average debate potential → ≈4.5/5argument clarity, estimated →

1 supported 1 partly supported 0 contradicted 1 not checkable as stated how the 3 claims stand · each chip opens the sources

1 prediction · 2 assertions · 1 insight · every statement was checked. The prediction and assertions are the 3 claims: statements the public record can support or contradict. 2 are resolved, and 1 names no date, number or outcome precise enough to check. Everything else (opinions, insights, what ifs, disclosures) can never be settled by the record, so it carries no assessment.

The record, in short

What the tape says about how Brian argues and how the claims held up. Everything they said, and everything said about them, is in the tabs below.

Their most notable supported claim

Assertion Supported

Kahn: Proof of stake consensus reduces crypto energy consumption by 99%

“I mean, it's literally a 99% reduction. That's the, or those are the best estimates.”

Brian Kahn Apr 20, 2022 ▶ 17:45 How bitcoin is keeping zombie power plants alive

How they sound: not measured why? →

We measure speaking style by listening to the audio itself, and a fair number needs at least 2,000 words from one person on tape we have measured. There is too little of Brian Kahn on measured tape to publish a rate. This says nothing about how they speak.

What they said4 Episodes1

Everything Brian Kahn said on the Green Blueprint that made the record, most notable first. Filter by type, assessment or year in the ledger →

Assertion Partly supported

Kahn: Greenidge earns 8x more mining Bitcoin than supplying grid power

“And the majority of the money they're making is not when they're putting power onto the grid, when they're, where they're making the most money is what's going on behind the grid. And you know, their revenue disclosures It was, you know, essentially almost a, …”

Brian Kahn Apr 20, 2022 ▶ 12:59 How bitcoin is keeping zombie power plants alive

Prediction Not checkable as stated

Kahn: Greenidge provides a blueprint for private equity to resurrect fossil plants

“It's absolutely possible that those plants could come back just like Greenwich did. And that, I think, is the biggest concern here is that if you are a Bitcoin mining company, if you are a private equity firm, if you're a venture capitalist, You can be looking…”

Brian Kahn Apr 20, 2022 ▶ 20:25 How bitcoin is keeping zombie power plants alive

Insight

Kahn: Decentralized mining incentivizes cheap fossil fuels over Big Tech net-zero goals

“When it comes to these big tech companies, like Google, for example, like they want to get to net zero. They want to get to a hundred percent renewables. That is like a centralized decision that Google is making for crypto and for cryptocurrency mining in part…”

Brian Kahn Apr 20, 2022 ▶ 9:51 How bitcoin is keeping zombie power plants alive