Many conservatives see liberal environmentalists as hypocrites. Some are and some aren’t. I knew a woman who was an environmentalist, but she drove an SUV. I, however, am not a hypocrite at all. My energy bill is $30 a month, and I haven’t driven a car since 2003.

I am in favor of both environmentalism and technological progress. The world consists of nature and civilization. Both are amazing accomplishments, and both deserve to be in the best shape that they can be. It is important to contribute to the civilization. It is also important to be more responsible in how we treat nature.

The best of all worlds is found in both protecting nature and advancing the civilization. It should be possible to do both.

However there are many people who want the worst of all worlds: Where there is both destruction of nature and attacks on science and technology. These people howl about such things as genetic therapy while doing nothing to stop truly destructive practices such as burning down the Amazonian rainforest or flooding the atmosphere with CO2. These people are enemies of both nature and civilization; and it is imperative that they be confronted about the wrong that they do.

Once again, both nature and civilization are amazing accomplishments, and both deserve to be treated with care and respect. Nature contains things of amazing beauty and richness that is beyond anything that people have been able to create, and it is wrong to blindly plunder it for gain that stands to be realized by using better technologies. As for the civilization, it also is a vast accomplishment that is owed to the hard work of billions of people. Both deserve to be honored.

In the best scenario therefore, there is both technological progress and environmental sanity. It is imperative to strive toward that state of affairs.. Both technology and environmentalism should be supported, and both nature and civilization should be made to benefit. The result will be people benefiting from both nature and civilization. And that stands to create the best of all worlds.