If you only squabble is proof of work, there are plenty of resources available detailing why proof of work is important to the fairness, security, and decentralization of the system. Incentives will ensure people working on or promoting any other blockchain will attack proof of work, because they know they can no longer compete with Bitcoin on security in a proof of work system, but that does not make it superior. I will not go into my personal feelings about proof of work vs proof of stake, but there is plenty of writing out there delving into the tradeoffs.
As someone who hangs their clothes on a drying line, and doesn't put Christmas lights up, I think those 2 uses of energy (which surpass the energy used for proof of work) are far more wasteful, but I am happy that the people who do value those activities are allowed to partake in them without demonization.
If PoW communities are really seriously interested in losing the "bad for the environment" tag, they need to be putting significant financial effort and brain power towards developing Proof of Useful Work (PoUW) systems.
And in full disclosure, I used to really like bitcoin, but my first time reading about the energy consumption was in 2020 which is when I started looking at other projects. Despite many other valid criticisms of the crypto space, there is something unique and interesting in decentralized technology. I knew bitcoin mining has an associated energy cost, but it never occurred to me prior to reading about it that it could consume as much energy globally as it does.
There are many people who still won't concede defeat for bitcoin/proof-of-work (likely because they have become emotionally invested), and I think a call to action for governments and the developers is really important.
For context though, the developers working on the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap have acknowledged the problem (years ago, before the energy consumption was even so extreme) and are planning to complete their years-in-the-making transition to proof of stake this year.