What was HE thinking?

"The greatest irony of nature and the greatest tragedy of earth is that the only being capable of appreciating its beauty to the fullest is the only one with an unbelievable propensity to destroy it!"
That is an original quote and one that is really straight from my heart. Think about it, can any other being apart from man appreciate the beauty of a mighty mountain range nestled in clouds or wonder at the depths of the blue ocean as he sits on its shore? Can any animal spend hours on the banks of a river doing nothing and then come back feeling rejuvenated?
And yet it is this same organism that seeks to destroy this beauty. What could be the cause of this aberration?
Is it God's aberration? I know that a lot of scriptures talk about how the world and its bounty is God's gift to us. But does that mean we finish off the gift by consuming it or treasure it the way we would a flower or a card from a loved one? So this makes me think, was the creation of Man God's endgame or is it our colossal mistake (to think that way)?
I think with the pollution and the global warming increasing by the day, we might just find the answer to this sooner than we want!