Ahmed has carved out an academic niche for himself in London...I doubt he's seriously interested in rocking the boat too much. While bringing to light certain truths, he'd have been shunned long ago if he actually went to the crux of the matter and addressed the contradictions inherent in his analysis. As you say, his timid mention of the relationship between civilisation and the natural world only shows how detached his perspective is from it. He's more comfortable paddling in the jargon of change and techno-fantasies than actually taking the plunge and getting his hands dirty by growing some spuds.