I disagree, individual effort is paramount to the conservation of the environment. I strongly believe in the cliche of "Think Globally, Act Locally". By limiting one's own impact on the environment, one can reduce their carbon footprint and hopefully influence others to do the same.
Simply thinking that it's "other people's problem to solve" is the exact apathy that leads to mass environmental damage. If everyone were to do their part to conserve the environment this world would be a much better place.