zlacker

Is there even a path to civilization without massive environmental impact? It’s not like “we” are collectively deciding what actions to take. Civilization is the result of the actions of billions of individuals over generations working towards their own goals in the face of adversity.

>>alehlo+(OP)
That really depends on how you define civilization.

If by civilized you mean people have a roof over their head, communities of some size that work together, trade, etc sure there's a version of that which doesn't have a massive environmental impact.

If civilization includes huge city centers, centralized agriculture, broad reaching industries, centralized power distribution, regular air travel, etc then no I can't personally see that being done without massive impact.

My personal opinion is that centralized industry and infrastructure is a lynchpin in massive environmental impact. I don't think we can have the former without the latter.