Some deny that environmental problems exist, while others say that they exist but have progressed too far for intervention to be effective. The truth lies somewhere in between. That is true of children and nations when the advice involves futures that lie beyond the immediate horizon. Few people would be expected to change behavior based simply on the advice of others but when their quality of life is affected by environmental problems, such as water shortages or air pollution, change can occur very quickly. The mediating factor here is the change in attitude.
Attitude change can effectively and quickly lead to changes in behavior.
There is evidence that attitudes toward the environment are changing. For example, there is little doubt that the earth's climate is undergoing some marked alterations. This knowledge is becoming commonplace as a result of media attention to new information about climate change. Hardly a week goes by that newspapers do not point out some manifestation of change involving the weather, and now much of the public is beginning to believe what atmospheric scientists have been saying for years. Also, extreme weather conditions experienced all over the world have forced us to pay attention to the possibility that something is happening and to the probability that we might be responsible.