This excerpt originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal on June 27, 2012.

Industrial capitalism is history's greatest antipollutant. Asphalt and automobiles, for example, combine to cleanse our cities and towns of the bacteria and insects (and stench) that are inseparable from animal-powered transportation. The petroleum used to make asphalt and to power automobiles is also used to make plastic wrap that keeps our foods unpolluted and to produce pharmaceuticals that keep our bodies cleaner and healthier.