While I agree with the premise of your argument, I have to disagree with your statement that "we should do everything in our power to persuade those who are meant to give effect to the will of the people, that they are duty bound to address this problem".
That's just kicking the can down the road and waiting for someone else to fix it.
A superior proposal would be most welcome :)
Form a group, get informed, organize and demand that your instructions are carried out.
The way you worded your statement made it sound like the people have no recourse other than to wait for the elected "officials" to figure out what to do and then wait for the bureaucracy to come to the rescue.
I wouldn't hold my breath.
Worthy comment. I wish I had more to offer. The struggles of life challenge my propensity for such audatious action.