E.g. preindustrial society proved more than capable of not only driving species extinct, but often in complete ignorance of what it was doing. Preindustrial cities were polluted hellholes full of sewage and disease. etc. The net impact of industrialization was massively good.

Agreed, but the transition was pretty rough! I recommend Carl Frey's "The technology trap" as a summary of some of the less salubrious bits of the industrial revolution