Crypto Executives Assuage Environmental Concerns By Unveiling Digital Avatar Of Glacier

THE BLOCKCHAIN—In an effort to address mounting pressure from environmental advocates, cryptocurrency executives attempted Monday to address criticism over the massive carbon footprint of their technology by unveiling a digital avatar of a glacier. “We’ve heard your concerns about how crypto mining could exacerbate our global climate crisis, and we want you to know that our planet’s glaciers will always have a home in the metaverse,” said Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, revealing that the industry’s top players had pooled their resources to mint a realistic 3D image of an Antarctic glacier as an NFT, one that users could view and interact with in a virtual reality blockchain platform. “This glacier will be able to survive on the blockchain for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. While it may not be made of actual ice, what’s great is that it’s decentralized, which means everyone can have access to it. And in the long run, isn’t that even better than the real thing?” At press time, Armstrong expressed his hope that coral reefs and the northern white rhino would also soon join the metaverse.