Abstract: This article is dedicated to examination of the dynamics of environmental awareness in the Russian mass media. The author presents the key theoretical approaches towards interpretation of environmental awareness, determination of its position within the system of “society – environment”, as well as representations about the role of society with regards to this system. Environmental awareness is viewed as one of the forms of social consciousness, for which mass media is the paramount channel of formation and expression in the conditions of extensive informatization of the society. The conducted study allows detecting the level of coverage of environmental theme in mass media in the period of environmental stability, as well as environmental disasters. The type of environmental awareness would be determined depending on the adequacy of perception by individuals of the relationship with the environment, which eventually defines social behavior with regards to their living environment. In the recent decades, due to the escalating global environmental crisis, more pressing becomes the problem of studying social consequences of interaction between the society and environment. Back in the early XX century, the environmental theme has become the subject of scientific discussions at the international level, being a result of realizing the importance of comprehensive approach towards the solution of environmental tasks.