Its useful to have a money system that isnt abused by central banks, destroying what you've worked for your whole life. The problem is accelerating and people seem to have found a solution. And energy "waste" is 1) an opinion of its utility and 2) more a function of grid structure. If the energy grid globally was all green then btc would be all green. It also less than 1% of global energy usage and does not scale with usage. It scales with price discovery which eventually maxes out long term.
You dont need to participate if you dont want to but sweeping it under the rug as all a scam is head in sand behavior.