The conservation ethic has its foundation in Judeo-Christian faiths. The Book of Genesis tells of God giving mankind dominion over his creation. Those who suggest destroying natural resources destroy not only God's gift, but the resources essential to the survival of mankind. Nature is a hierarchy, and man is at the top of the heap. Science can achieve a balance between the needs of people and the environment, and can even improve on natural systems.
Extreme environmentalists stand in the way of human progress and threaten the quality of human life.
The fate of the natural world and survival of humans are inextricably linked. The naive belief that corporate scientists can replace what nature took thousands of years to create will deprive our children of natural resources in the future.