Written by: Shawn Funk One of the goals of environmentalism is to harmonize civilization with the natural environment. Through sustainable practices, it is thought that the degradation of our environment can be brought under control and even reversed. Is this wishful thinking? I think so. I believe there is an inherent contradiction between civilization and nature, for one must be destroyed to make way for the other. Indeed, they cannot occupy the same place simultaneously. Economic growth and environmental degradation go hand in hand; naturally, first-world countries are the biggest polluters and energy users. Where there was a desert, now a concrete villa. Where there was forest, now a farmer’s…