Seen in this way the current planetary-scale ecological crisis is nothing more than an extension of what our ancestors have been doing with controlled use of fire, cooperative hunting, accumulation of knowledge about foraging techniques and food processing, and so forth. What has changed is the scale at which these processes now play out in the world. We have ratcheted up our cultural capacities to alter landscapes to the point that we are now crossing planetary boundaries of self-regulation for the Earth Systems that make our complex societies possible.
Exactly, it is not that dissimilar at the big picture level.
The issue is the scale of our impact. It is like the sorcerer's apprentice. We have summoned powers beyond our control that threaten our very lives and our planet.
aka wisdom gap.