But you ignore the point that many climbers took risks before there was as much rescue as there is now, also many took risks exploring for centuries where there was no chance of rescue. I don't think most people think - it'll be OK if there's a problem - I'll get rescued, they just don't think there will be a problem.

 The problem is with careless people just not thinking, especially young guys, rather than people relying on others to rescue them. Thus in one US area the problem is not so much with climbers, who tend to  assess the risks and climb within their limits, but with ignorant hikers who aren't aware there could be a problem - till weather changes suddenly, etc.:

Some worry that free soloists create extraordinary risks for rescuers, but the experience at Yosemite Valley, the navel of the rock-climbing world, suggests that it is the misguided hiker, not climbers, who are the problem.

"Climbers make up a very small portion of rescues, and even smaller proportion of our fatalities," Adrienne Freeman, a Yosemite spokeswoman, said in a telephone interview. "Contrary to public perception, climbers are very responsible for themselves."

NYT

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.