In short, like wilderness generally, glaciers came tosymbolize those wild places saved from the nefarious consequences of theindustrialized, overconsuming modern world.
This also reminds me of an article I had to read for my Intro to Environmental Analysis class. The article was titled 1491, and it was about how Western views of North and South America as places of "pristine wilderness" have tainted conservation and environmentalist views. The article states that it is very likely that the indigenous people in both North and South America altered the landscape to fit their agricultural needs. This quote that I have highlighted in Carey's article reminds me of that "pristine wilderness" myth.