If you are reading this, then odds are you care a great deal about the environment and understand the gravity of the situation we are currently in. It is a fight for the life of everything we know. To you and I, that is a very big deal. We understand why this is an issue, and how it became an issue, and what we have to do to try to prevent it. But a lot of people do not, far more than is really imaginable and it hard to understand why.
The conclusion I have come to, and have read many an article or opinion piece that has similar ideas, is that it is not so much that these people do not care, but that they do not know how to care. And I do not mean that in a “they have no emotions way” but in a they do not fully understand how it works way, and do not care to learn more. Often these are intelligent people. They are not unable to grasp the concept, they just have learned what they have learned, and decided that they know enough about it, and chose to claim they have read all that matters on the subject and that the rest is just not true or an exaggeration.
This is why, when confronted someone who does not share the same ideals as yourself on this (or any) subject, it is important not to get angry and lash out, because that only puts people on the defensive and less likely to listen. Asking them to explain how they came to their conclusion and then gently pointing out inconsistencies and misconceptions works much better. Attacking the whole basis of someones ideas, especially someone who is able to understand the full picture as long as they have the full information, is a surefire way to make them not wish to listen to you at all. And then you have truly lost.
Well, that got more philosophical than I expected, but I hope you see the point! It is hard not to get upset about something you feel so very passionate about. But if you are to help someone see the error in their way, you have to talk with them, not just at them.