Well, as we all know, environmental catastrophes only happen in capitalist nations. (Sarcasm alert.)
I have a brother who is a radical environmentalist. I once really got his goat by saying "you know what was the most harmful thing man ever did to the environment in the new world?" He said something about cars our the Amazon, and then I pointed out that it was the Mayans cutting down pretty much an entire jungle. Man, he hated that answer.
Oh, wait, let me get back to the point of this thread. Fanatical societies tend to lay waste to the environment. That's how I'll connect the Mayans and Saddam Hussein. And the Soviet Union. And the Chinese.
He'd also hate being told that third world goats and American house cats are, enviromentally speaking, downright evil.