When the Bitcoin supply reaches 21 million, the mining fees associated with it will cease to exist. Instead of earning revenue from a combination of block rewards and transaction fees, miners will only be able to make money from processing transactions. However, in order for new transactions to be confirmed, mining is necessary. If miners stop producing new blocks, it will be impossible to spend Bitcoin in the future.
If the internet connection is lost, the Bitcoin blockchain will stop synchronizing and recording transactions. This will cause a temporary disruption in transaction processing. The network will resume if transactions are consistent. In case of any discrepancies, users can update their blockchain or opt out of the network.
Recently, Western governments have been concerned that the Russian central bank, regime and oligarchs will use cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions. But due to the inability of the cryptocurrency ecosystem to process large volumes, this is unlikely to happen. Bitcoin cannot fund a war. Switching to a rewards structure based solely on transaction fees would almost certainly reduce the number of miners as they would only receive 6.5% of their usual rewards.
According to a recent report by the Council, there have been significant improvements in energy efficiency and sustainability due to advances in semiconductor technology, the rapid expansion of North American mining, the exodus from China and the global shift towards sustainable energy and modern mining techniques.
