Environmental Concern of the Local Elite

There are a number of values that are of importance for the sustainability or degradation of the natural environment of a country. Technological development, scientific advances, the level of economic development of the country, and the specific capacity for political modernization influence the situation and development of the environment. Public opinion concerning environmental problems is a genuine factor in environmental politics and an important factor, too, in the practical solution of current and future environmental problems. The high surface ozone concentrations are considered a grave environmental problem by local communities. This article raises the question of the political capacity of local decision makers to address this problem. Generally, the local elite must be environmentally aware and must pursue adequate policy positions in order to solve current environmental problems. The more homogeneous their awareness of the environment, with its problems, and the more homogeneous their policy orientation, the greater the chances of overcoming a dangerous environmental problem. Austria serves as the subject of an empirical study of this phenomenon.