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NFTs are disrupting the art world - but they don’t have to ruin the environment
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Published Sep 9, 2021
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Published Sep 9, 2021
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NFTs are a new medium of exchange and ownership. The way in which NFTs leverage technology is truly revolutionary for the art world and beyond.
However, as with any new tech, there are a lot of unsolved problems and huge opportunities yet to be discovered. Perhaps the most discussed dilemma surrounding NFTs today is the negative environmental impact. Most NFTs currently reside on the Ethereum blockchain, which is environmentally destructive from an energy consumption perspective.
The moral dilemma that this creates for many rules out NFTs as a means for creation and ownership.
By Way of Water, by Moira Bateman, 2019.
“The current drought and wildfires in my region are clearly a wake-up call and display why artists are demanding NFTs address their climate impact,” says artist Moira Bateman. "Quite literally, I immerse my work in the physical environment. I access remote lakes in northern Minnesota along the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and submerge the cloth I use in my artwork to naturally stain over long periods of time. In this gesture, my artwork gives voice to the environment in the BWCA, along with its well-being and connection to human life.”
Bateman is one of the earliest creators on Voice, which uses an environmentally-friendly blockchain for NFTs. EOSIO allows Voice to be a carbon negative platform, meaning what little energy is used to run the platform is more than covered with carbon offsets.
NFTs will upend the creative world. When they do, they don’t have to ruin the environment along the way.
This post is a sponsored collaboration between Voice and Gothamist staff.
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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