Yea, it´s quasi evolution viewed from the other side - the present.
And it actually makes sense, this whole terraforming stuff is useless if you dont know how to alter your own planet.
Imagine the newspapers of an type 1 civilization.
They may not write about hurricanes, volcanos and stuff, but something like
'Earth destroyed? - New Supernova predicted'
What would be their daily headline without much crime, war, protests, racism, class conflicts?
