So often the progress that mankind has made, has been made, by mankind applying themselves in such a manner that when looking at a given situation and rather than accepting such as being unchangeable or untamable, mankind seizes upon it as a challenge and thereby through mankind's intelligence and knowledge a plan is initiated to manipulate it, or change it, so as to utilize it for the intended benefit of mankind. That is why, the productivity of modern man has risen to be so much higher and thereby the utilization of space and natural resources as being done today is at unprecedented efficiency levels, making America the largest food exporter of any nation in the world, because it utilizes its farmland at exceedingly high yield rates, in addition to harnessing water in a skillful manner for hydroelectric power, irrigation, and the drinking of, so that never is America suffering from any sort of sustained drought, in addition to the fact that America is essentially self-sufficient in its energy needs with its utilization of nuclear power, oil, hydro, coal, wind, solar, and natural gas.
All of these things could not have been accomplished if America had not taken the time and made the effort to look upon nature and natural resources as something to be conquered and controlled for the prosperity of mankind, as opposed to being frustrated by periodic flooding cause by massive rainfall and thereby the overflowing of rivers, or the lack of electricity, or the lack of lighting, or the lack of sensible infrastructure, or the lack of any of the modern conveniences that we now take for granted.
These things that we now have, take make our communities and companies operate at a high efficiency, thereby creating progress for all to benefit, have come about because mankind refuses to just sit back and just assume that the way things are must be the way they should remain, and instead bends nature to the needs of mankind, representing the implementation of intelligence and creativity in order to make riches where before there was poverty, in order to bring convenience where before there was hardship, and in order to enlighten all where before there was darkness.
This does not mean that those that preach for a need to be in harmony with nature, and to treat nature with respect are wrong in their idealism, for their position does indeed have its merits, but rather it is mistaken to believe that the natural order of things is to allow nature to rule us, as oppose to mankind ruling nature. While it is true that the wanton and careless destruction to natural phenomena, the misuse of natural resources, as well as the ills of pollution and the blowback of modern contrivances gone horribly wrong, are all true indications that progress does not always get it right, but the answer to such, is not the stoppage of that march of progress, but it is rather the amending and the monitoring of it, instead.
The nature that we have in front of us, is the nature that we are given to utilize in a manner that will aid us, of which, it isn't that mother nature gets it wrong, but rather it is for mankind to take what is here and now, and by his mastery of the elements, to become in effect, co-creators, of a world that is better for our development of it.