As the Earth is a closed system and all resources, including living ones, must cycle, we cannot ascribe the right to existence to individuals, only to larger groups, such as species. Deep Ecology argues that nature is a quasi-divine entity . But keep in mind that all species flourish, all species suffer , and many are extinct . The issue can be thought of as whether our technological evolution is matched by our moral and ethical evolution. How we view nature impacts, if not controls, how we interact with nature.
Environmental problems stem from human intervention.
A corollary to this belief is that if nature is ordered, then some divine power must have ordered it. For us, as we are the intelligent beasts who can appreciate the order. We discover ourselves as we view nature in its pristine state. This view is one that Americans grew up with, from Lewis and Clark to the industries of modern society. Began with Thoreau as a concept, and has become a central tenet for modern environmentalists who see human growth as inevitable.