There is a school of thought that says, a nation must become fairly prosperous before it concerns itself with pollution. It is a middle class concern. Once a nation reaches the point where they can afford the environment to be a cause that people worry about -- as opposed to the jobs they need which, typically, create that pollution -- that is when they clean things up.
I believe that to be the case and so there is really very very little chance that "we", the West, will reverse direction.
And it's a hopeful thought for the second and third world, too; once "they" reach that level, where they have a middle class that has been around for a generation, and isn't going away, and
has the ability the speak politically and move for change, the problem will be focused upon.