It is possible and necessary to care about both.

The original comment is entirely valid. Deserts are not empty and those ecosystems have a complex relationship with other parts of the web of life.

The most important thing we can realize is the earth is a series of complex interconnected systems. We evolved under conditions where we were small compared the systems regeneration abilities. This is no longer true and we do have to consider how any project will affect and shift the earth's systems.

Its worth noting that CO2 emissions are not the only vector by which we are pushing the earth systems to collapse and they are interlinked. We can't push ahead on solutions that only tackle one aspect of the problem or we likely will be as unstuck as we are now.

The answer to some people using real issues to push for climate delay is not to pretend those issues don't exist (that will make the backlash worse!) but to get on top of them and study the whole positive and negative aspects and make an informed decision about the best options to tackle all the systemic challenges we face.