Why did they want to destory the domes?

Why the domes couldn't have been operated on Earth is a point, I don't think that is explained. Maybe they were planning to transplant them to another colony, maybe it was just an experiment to see if they could be maintained in space.
Or possibly there WAS domes on Earth and these were already shut down. The space domes being out of sight and out of mind and a harder program to close.

But the reason they are destroyed is money. In this future we are surviving with artificial foods and such. People just don't give a *beep* about these forests anymore. (this is illustrated with the other crewmen that don't understand why Lowell prefers to eat the food he has grown)
There was no support to continue the project and the ships to which they were attached were considered to be more useful doing something else.

The only reason I can think of is some kind of imminent global disaster or war. Otherwise the cheapest option would always be to build and maintain the domes on earth.

So it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. You just have to accept it.

Liked the movie regardless.

The film makers are trying to drive home a political message. The suggestion is the people on earth are similarly just like his crew mates, ideologically unable, or perhaps too self involved to appreciate the value of nature. Basically they are saying, no one on Earth cares anymore. That people willingly do what they are told rather than take individual responsibility for moral choices.

I do like your point that corporations didn't want that potential profit loss... weird this is happening now (at least in the USA) where we are waking up to ALL the chemicals and crap we are eating instead of natural foods.... organics, non-gmo stuff is growing steadily the last few decades as more and more discover the REAL crap they are eating...


anywho.... I sort of filled in the blanks for why the domes were destroyed for the potential risk they would be floating around in orbit in our solar system. Say if one floats into earths path after gaining some momentum in orbit and hitting the earth... blow it to tiny bits and that is ONE LESS THING that is out there to kill us

Interesting.