$BTC The mining process is primarily intended to prevent double-spending and get all nodes to agree on the content of the blockchain, but it also has desirable side-effects such as making it infeasible for adversaries to stifle valid transactions or alter the historical record of transactions, since doing so generally requires the adversary to have access to more mining power than the rest of the network combined.[7]: ch. 12  It is also used to regulate the rate at which new bitcoin is issued and enters circulation. Mining consumes large quantities of electricity and has been criticized for its environmental impact