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Ethereum

L1·Ethereum·$255.4B mcap
71.5 /100
CicadaX ScoreGreen
Why this tierGreen: 60–79

Ethereum grades Green with a CicadaX Score of 71.5, the mean of its three lens scores. Its lens profile is uneven (7.8-pt spread), pointing to where it is strong versus where it lacks. Data completeness is 83%, so a transparency discount applies.

Solidly sustainable: low-energy, good governance, neutral-to-positive impact.

Top strengths

E1Consensus mechanism95
E2Energy intensity81
E3Carbon intensity90

Where it most lacks

I2Verified impact30
I1Sustainability purpose (additionality)40
E2Energy intensity81
Five pillars
EEnergy & Carbon88.9
RResource & E-waste78.2
GGovernance & Transparency86.7
IReal-world Impact35.0
SSocial78.0
Three lensesdiscount ×0.97
AEnergy-dominant
75.9strongest
BBalanced ESG
70.5
CImpact-forward
68.0weakest

A 7.8-point spread between lenses shows an uneven profile — the diagnostic value of scoring under all three.

Per-indicator breakdownStandard v1.0 · config-2026-05-25
IndicatorValueNorm.ConfidenceSource
E1Consensus mechanismpos95highCicadaX consensus map — ethereum.org/en/energy-consumption; Ethereum Foundation (Proof-of-Stake (post-Merge, Sep 2022))
E2Energy intensity0.0181highCambridge CBECI/CBNSI (CBNSI — validator node count x hardware draw x location-based grid intensity (PoS); as of 2026-05-01)
E3Carbon intensity390highCambridge CBECI/CBNSI (grid-adjusted; as of 2026-05-01)
R1Hardware lifecycle / e-waste0.0178mediumCicadaX resource model (consensus=pos) — commodity validator hardware, long lifecycle, negligible churn
R2Embodied footprintgood78mediumCicadaX resource model (consensus=pos) — embodied footprint by hardware class
G1Decentralization (Nakamoto coefficient)1279mediumCicadaX decentralization map (public Nakamoto-coefficient trackers) (Nakamoto coefficient (min entities for >33% control), public trackers — calibration snapshot; as of 2026-05-01)
G2Disclosure qualityself_reportedstrong95lowethereum.org energy disclosures; Ethereum Foundation reports — EF publishes energy + protocol data (self-reported)
G3Security / audits / reliabilitystrong95mediumethereum.org energy disclosures; Ethereum Foundation reports — extensively audited clients/contracts; high uptime
G4Regulatory & treasury transparencyself_reportedgood78lowethereum.org energy disclosures; Ethereum Foundation reports — transparent, well-documented governance process
I1Sustainability purpose (additionality)neutral40mediumethereum.org energy disclosures; Ethereum Foundation reports — general-purpose smart-contract L1
I2Verified impactself_reportedlow30lowethereum.org energy disclosures; Ethereum Foundation reports — hosts ReFi ecosystem but not a core function
S1Community / labor / accessibilityself_reportedgood78lowethereum.org energy disclosures; Ethereum Foundation reports — large, accessible global developer community

Sources used: cbeci, consensus-map, resource-map, decentralization-map, coingecko, disclosures.