The NFT market is undergoing a painful downturn right now — but many in the space regard this as an opportunity to build. CSLIM, a South Korean artist, joins us for a discussion about how he got involved in this fast-moving space. He reveals why the rarity levels of NFTs may need a rethink, how crypto collectibles can help good causes, and compelling use cases for the future. 1. Hello! Tell us about CSLIM STUDIO — what's your story… and your main goal? I am an artist with an engineering background — and I've worked on AI, autonomous driving and …

As the heated up discussion around the ethical aspects of using fossil fuels in crypto mining remains one of the key topics for the industry, an unexpected partnership between a Denver-based mining company and the government of a gas-rich Middle Eastern country sets a horizon for a positive role of crypto in cutting the fossil fuels waste. On Wednesday, June 1, Bloomberg reported that Crusoe Energy, an operator repurposing wasted fuel energy to the computational power of crypto mining, would start its work in Oman, a nation that exports 21% of its gas production and seeks zero gas flaring by …

Ripple (XRP) has announced a $100 million investment in the carbon trading segment, CEO Brad Garlinghouse told Cointelegraph’s Joseph Hall in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting, which concluded on Thursday. Garlinghouse noted the rising profile of cryptocurrency at the international summit, comparing his experiences over the last several years. “As leaders across the world learn how these technologies can actually benefit their constituents, benefit their economies, they’re going to use them. […] I think we’re seeing that happen every day,” Garlinghouse said. He went on to say that nonfungible tokens (NFTs) are …

Three years after being ousted as CEO of WeWork, Adam Neumann has jumped on the crypto bandwagon, raising $70 million in the first major funding round for his climate tech venture Flowcarbon. The project aims to make carbon trading more accessible by putting carbon credits on the blockchain. Neumann is an Israeli-American businessman and investor famous for his role in founding coworking space provider WeWork in 2010, a company once heralded as the future of workspaces. However, it all came crashing down in 2019 when the company attempted to go public, which instead lifted the lid on WeWork’s unprofitable business …

Nonfungible tokens (NFT) and blockchain technology have developed an unfortunate stigma in some sections of the community for being bad for the environment. But, could that perception be changed by integrating carbon offsets into NFT gaming? GameFi, or gaming finance, marries NFTs and gaming. Blockchain games account for nearly $12 million in daily volume from over a million gamers, according to app tracker DappRadar. Toucan Protocol chief operations officer Rob Schmitt thinks that volume and those users could be harnessed to benefit the environment. Schmitt told Cointelegraph that using carbon offsets as an element in blockchain games could create “by …

The need for a clear, balanced concept of the issue was a constant theme at the panel discussion of crypto’s carbon footprint at the 2022 World Economic Forum. There was general agreement that there has been a rush to judgment on the consensus mechanisms of crypto mining and education, and careful policymaking can counteract it. “Crypto tribalism” on social media is an impediment to environmentally sound crypto mining, FTX.US president Brett Harrison said, comparing the situation to politics. “A vocal minority obscures the majority,” he said, while there is a unified effort in the background. He added, “Practitioners have to …

The United States Department of Commerce is calling for submissions on how it can establish a framework that will bolster American economic competitiveness in digital assets including crypto and stablecoins. The Department of Commerce (DoC) intends on publishing a series of 17 questions in a request for comment through the International Trade Administration. The request will be published in the Federal Register on Thursday. The questions pertain to the DoC’s efforts to develop a framework for challenges to the growth of American economics regarding digital assets, as requested by President Joe Biden’s Executive Order. The questions will cover a range …

A group of eight organizations focused on the environment have called on different government agencies under the Biden administration to implement new approaches in response to proof-of-work (PoW) and other crypto mining operations. In a letter to the United States Office of Science and Technology Policy on Monday, the Environmental Working Group, Earthjustice, Greenpeace, the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, the Seneca Lake Guardian and the Milwaukee Riverkeeper urged the White House to enact policies aimed at curbing “the electricity use and climate pollution associated with digital currencies that rely on [PoW].” Specifically, the …

Bitcoin (BTC) mining has always been a controversial topic. But, Bitcoin’s proof-of-work (PoW) model has reached new levels of concern as senior decision-makers and investors pay closer attention to environmental, social and governance factors. As such, many crypto miners are highlighting environmentally friendly practices by acquiring carbon offsets. Yet, some would argue that this isn’t enough to guarantee green Bitcoin mining. Other risk factors may also be involved with carbon credits. For instance, Kevin O’Leary — the Canadian entrepreneur better known as “Mr. Wonderful” for his role on Shark Tank — told Cointelegraph that he typically indexes public mining companies …

A bill was proposed in Rhode Island’s House of Representatives that would credit a house builder in a “green coin” cryptocurrency for reducing the project’s carbon footprint. The Green Housing Public-Private Partnership Act would oblige the state’s public utility commission to issue annual reports on the utility costs and carbon emissions of a housing project. If the project has been able to reduce its utility costs, the state will award a cryptocurrency credit to the property owner. “Any reduction 24 amount of utility costs attributable to any housing construction project pursuant to this chapter shall 25 be assigned a credit …

The Bitcoin Mining Council (BMC) responded to a letter sent to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Michael Regan by Democratic legislators last month with a letter of its own seeking to rectify inaccuracies about Bitcoin (BTC) mining and its environmental impact. Penned by MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor, Castle Island Ventures partner Nic Carter and Darin Feinstein of Core Scientific, the BMC letter, which has over 50 signers, highlights alleged misconceptions in the document sent to Regan. In particular, the authors said that the original letter, which was signed by Democratic Representative Jared Huffman and 22 members of …

NFTs have taken pop culture by storm over the past year. On a nearly daily basis, a new celebrity announces their interest in the emerging technology — usually by dropping an NFT collection. From Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction NFTs to Snoop Dogg’s NFT music label, a wide range of notable names are beginning to realize the creative value that NFTs offer. While celebrity involvement has played a key role in raising mainstream awareness about the array of NFT use cases and investment potential, it has also drawn the ire of some fans. In the midst of the hype surrounding the …