If you slip back to an "environmental activism" take we're gonna go back to arguing

I still don't see your point, if there is one, about the religions. The three major monotheistis religions originated in a desert/steppe environment, not because of something special about a desert, but becasue they all came from the same religious root. The 3 major modern religious philosophies on the planet all originated in vastly different environments (Hindu, Buddism, Judism). Thye have all branched further from their origins so I completely fail to see what point you are trying to make, nor its relevence to the discussion.