How bad is bitcoin for the climate? Bad enough that Elon Musk is stepping back from it.

The billionaire, who recently spent more than $1 billion on the cryptocurrency, says he'll no longer accept bitcoin as payment for Tesla cars as earlier announced, citing its environmental footprint.

U.S. towns are also starting to stand up to energy-guzzling cryptocurrency mining, which they see as a threat to their climate change goals.

One mining operation, in upstate New York, took a shuttered coal plant and re-opened it to run on natural gas to fuel its banks of power-hungry computers operating 24 hours a day.

When it recently announced plans to expand, local protesters marched, although they failed to stop Greenidge Generation gaining approval for more machines.

"Everything we want to do to fight climate change could be erased," warned Yvonne Taylor, one of the activists.

After our story appeared, the bitcoin mining firm announced its facility would go carbon neutral starting next month - but by purchasing carbon offsets rather than running on renewable energy.

In the Caribbean, meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic is hampering efforts to switch to greener and cheaper energy, which were already struggling because of a lack of climate finance and electricity monopolies.

"We are reeling from the effects of the pandemic," warned Timothy Antoine, governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.

COVID-19 also has slowed the economy in South Africa's third-largest city of Durban, where the official unemployment rate surged past 20% late last year as businesses struggled.

Economic woes - and a lack of consultation with the city's poorest - are hurting green efforts, local activists told our reporter.

But swifter climate action is also gaining some unexpected backers - including a growing share of the politically powerful U.S. evangelical Christian movement, more widely known for its conservative bent and climate scepticism.

To help drive a fast-enough response to planetary warming, "we know we don't have a big enough choir yet - so we have to build a bigger choir loft", said Kyle Meyaard-Schaap, whose Evangelical Environmental Network is helping shift more of the faithful - particularly youth - on the issue.

There are other positive signs too - from women waging "green jihad" in Indonesia by planting trees to Tunisia's cyclists fighting for more space during lockdown and new research suggesting solar-powered mini-buses could work in African cities.

Trying to understand bitcoin's environmental impact? Don't miss our video explainer.

See you next week!

Laurie

Young evangelicals push to 'build a bigger choir loft' for U.S. climate action
Evangelical Christians - a powerful U.S. voting block long reluctant to back climate action - are now seeing shifts on the issue as their youth back change

In Durban, climate goals are bold - but its poor feel left behind
South Africa’s seaside city, hard hit by unemployment and rising climate risks, is aiming for net-zero emissions. Can it achieve that in a way that aids the most vulnerable?

Solar minibuses for Africa? Data seen as key to green transport switch
Solar-powered electric charging points could be the solution for African cities, researchers say - but to attract investment, more information is needed on informal transport systems

Pandemic derails Caribbean islands' bid for greener, cheaper energy
Already struggling with a lack of finance and reliance on costly fossil fuel imports, the COVID-19 crisis has dealt a further blow to island nations seeking low-carbon economies

U.S. small towns take on energy-guzzling bitcoin miners
Environmentalists warn carbon emissions from power-intensive bitcoin mining could harm efforts to limit global warming

Eco-friendly Eid - the Indonesian women on a mission to plant trees
Muslim women's group 'Aisyiyah is helping the environment and local communities by restoring forests, tackling climate problems and raising awareness on the need to reduce waste

Pedal power: In lockdown, Tunisia's cyclists fight for space
As the pandemic pushes Tunisians to get on their bikes, activists call on officials to make cycling more accessible and safer

Forests as big as France have grown back since 2000, research shows
Satellite data analysis by WWF and other conservation groups shows encouraging but insufficient signs of global forest regeneration