Just shortly after the release of their new album [Apocalypse : Save Us], with their title track “MAISON” warning us about the effects of climate change, they decided to, unbelievably, sell their own NFTs. A translated screenshot can be found on Reddit, but it’s not necessary to understand anything in this advert past the first line: ENTC to know the environmental impact.

TL;DR: This was a hypocritical move that easily destroys any goodwill they may have had from their song about climate change, as ENTC is based on the environmentally-damaging Ethereum blockchain. Supporting climate change awareness while contributing to its damage in the very same move is disingenuous and insincere, and the fault lies solely with those involved in the decision-making process.

Why this is bad

For a longer, more detailed breakdown on the environmental effects of NFTs, check out this article by Justine Calma.

What are NFTs?

To put things very simply, NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are unique cryptocurrency tokens that can take the form of almost anything digital (images, in this case).

The environmental impact

NFTs are also largely based on Ethereum, a cryptocurrency based on proof of work that was intentionally designed to be extremely inefficient for the purposes of financial security. So inefficient, to the point it would simply be too difficult for any bad actors to modify the ledger for themselves.

This is a fundamental part of its design that will scale accordingly even when we have access to more efficient, powerful computers in future. Our only alternative for an environmentally-friendly option here would be a transition to something else, like a proof of stake mechanism.

From that same article on coinbase:
“Proof-of-work blockchains are secured and verified by virtual miners around the world racing to be the first to solve a math puzzle. The winner gets to update the blockchain with the latest verified transactions and is rewarded by the network with a predetermined amount of crypto.”

This consumes a lot of power, and, according to the final note of https://cryptoart.wtf/, the author acknowledges that NFTs based on proof of work cause “senseless damage to our planet.”. The exact amount consumed per NFT varies, but the average had once been calculated at more than a month’s worth of electricity for a person living in the EU.

To sum it up

Most of the information is already covered in Justine Calma’s article linked above, so I won’t be going through everything again for the sake of brevity.

The conclusion is simple: NFTs based on proof of work such as Ethereum are harmful to our environment.

Dreamcatcher’s NFTs

Dreamcatcher has partnered with Enterbutton (ENTC) to create their own NFTs, but here is where the problem begins: personally, I would have been fine if they did not use a proof of work blockchain like Ethereum and its associated negative environmental effects, but this is not what’s happening here.

Does ENTC use Ethereum?

ENTC is an ERC-20-compatible smart token that uses the Ethereum blockchain.

So yes, it is not environmentally-friendly, though the fact they made no mention of the environment at all in their website and white paper presumably because they’re seeking to “abandon reality anyway so who cares” should have been a red flag from the start.

You wouldn’t think an organisation like this would care so much about preserving our natural world anyway when their desire is to be freed from it.

ENTC is also a dystopian horror

I’ll be honest, enterbutton.org scares me. It reads like a cult and reminds me of a dystopian future led by disguised misanthropy—they are trying to recreate their idea of humanity by means taking over the world and essentially playing god.

Their extreme ambition with unrealistic goals only furthers the impression that they suffer from some kind of delusional hubris. with the fact their site isn’t even secured by HTTPS only putting their legitimacy into further question.

Some excerpts from both their website and white paper:

“Everyone desires to escape from reality. Rationally, we all seek to be liberated from the universal and inevitable dillemas of life; we then daydream about living amidst the perfection of a personalized Utopia”

“Our direction and mission are clear. We are not heading towards the aerospace industry. By ultimately resolving all issues of physical existence and extending into the Metaverse, we will finalize the ENTC Universe. As we become accepted as leaders within our field, ENTC hopes to work alongside leaders within the aerospace industry.”

“By the time we reach 5% of our mission, people will begin to doubt the ENTC Universe. At 20% they will begin to pay attention. After the 50% threshold, the entire world will be watching us. They will want to be a part of our movement! By 80%, ‘they’ will be ‘us.’ Upon completion of the Century Milestone, we are already ‘the world’.“

Yes, their idea of a Metaverse is indeed their take on a virtual world, as page 30 of their white paper makes explicit: “…the boundary between the real and virtual (Metaverse) world is predicted to collapse in the near future” Collapse in the near future? Those are some very bold claims.

I’ll be honest, this is pretty twisted, and it was very unsettling to read.

Not only with their ABRAHAM project where “digitally-assimilated pieces where the artist’s face and the A.I drawing technology are blended in harmony will also be mass-produced.” bordering on extremely creepy, but with their general stance towards humanity in general: they seem to despise life.

The thought of such an organisation trying to take over the world as we know it is not something I thought I’d find outside of dystopian horror films.

Conclusion

Regarding ENTC’s goal

Earth may not be some flawless paradise, but it is my home, and I will wholeheartedly stand in support of it. Also, you know what? I like being human as well, and I like all the flaws and problems that come with it—I think these flaws are precisely what makes us human.

There’s a lot of philosophical debate around the topic of evolving into a completely digital form, including Nick Bostrom’s simulation argument that suggests we already are living in a simulation, along with the many other debates revolving around transhumanism.

Future generations will think differently—and maybe I’m just too old for this—but I am not that future generation, and I’m not ready to abandon reality just because it’s less-than-perfect. For all its flaws, this planet is where I grew up, and is where I’ll call my home until the day I die.

There is a significant possibility that humankind will become digital entities in future, but I hope whatever is running us is powered by clean energy, and that we weren’t forced into this state because our planet was destroyed.

What about Dreamcatcher?

What Dreamcatcher Company has done here, only shortly after releasing a song promoting climate awareness, is hypocritical at best, and I hope the current backlash will be enough for force them to rescind their decision to contribute to the further destruction of our environment.

This is one of the rare times where the Korean entertainment industry’s treatment of their members as “products” is beneficial to them, as you wouldn’t blame a product for the company’s actions, would you?

If Thor did something stupid in some comic you wouldn’t blame Thor, you would blame wrote that comic and made him do that stupid thing.

Similarly, the members here are not responsible for their company’s actions, and it would be unfair to blame them. That is, of course, they were part of the decision-making process as shareholders of Dreamcatcher Company, but it’s not fair to assume they are complicit without any evidence, and they easily get the benefit of the doubt.

Like with my review of this album, I think I’m just going to pretend nothing in this album’s release ever happened, and will continue eagerly waiting for whatever comes after their [Summer Holiday] album.