It is extremely relevant, because the pollution and waste don't come from nowhere; they come from capitalism and its profit motive. Yes, the oppressed (that's the whole working class, not just people who are typically categorized as "poor") must act in order to gain the autonomy and power to be able to shape our environment. The onus is 100% on us. Simply "expecting" the oppressive institutions of nation-state governments to suddenly stop being beholden to the capitalists they were designed to protect and serve is not going to do it. Of course it isn't "fair" for the onus to be on the oppressed and not the oppressors, but it's how power fucking works.