I grew up on the edge of the rust belt in a small area. We were told from a young age about water conservation, the acid rain problem at the time from factories around the great lakes and that pollution from factories was causing it, etc. Later, when news about the hole in the ozone layer was coming out, it also felt at least somewhat hopeful because countries began to talk more about pollution and climate (though I think this began in the mid-to-late '90s not in the early part I mentioned) EDIT: Montreal protocol was all the way back in '87 and that's what I was thinking of; time kinda blends together a bit 30-something years later. At the time, it looked like that might amount to something.

You'll also note that I specifically said that things were not at all perfect. I also don't actually remember the phrase "global warming" being a thing back then and certainly not the later 'climate change', but that's not to say nothing was going on. (in a quick search, it looks like "global warming" as a phrase appeared in a scientific paper in 1975, but I don't know when it gained traction in the news and common usage that I would have heard).

Further, I also said that the meme was accurate going further back than the stated date. It's also possible to be hopeful about some things and not others. The actual state today for humanity as a whole is better than it was in 2016. Some places have backslid in some ways, but overall, it's better. I suspect it will continue to backslide in some areas but improve more in others. Does that inspire me personally with a feeling of hope or joy? Not particularly, especially when we have AI/datacenter craze and whatever the hell the US is doing.