When God told Noah to build an ark before the world was destroyed, Noah built an ark.
But when God told Abraham that He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (extremely corrupt cities), Abraham argued, saying, "Perhaps there are righteous people there! Will not the Judge of all the earth do justice?""
Abraham felt a sense of responsibility for the world he lived in. If something was wrong, it needed to be changed, even if it had been decreed by Divine will.