Bystander effect

In his speech at the official ICCCAD dinner, vice-chancelor of the Independent University of Bangladesh compared the impacts of climate change to a robber (the agressive kind of guy, the one with a knife) attacking a person, let's say a helpless pretty woman (to encapture the notion of innocence, which is important in this regard) on the street: 

When she screams loud enough, all lights will turn on, people will open their windows and see what's happening - but no one will go down to help her, and no one will call the police.

Why? Well, people think 

a) "I cannot face this lunatic alone, I will not be able to help the girl on my own" 

b) "So many others are watching, somebody will surely do something, so I can go back to bed"

So the lights turn off, the woman is left alone.
For the murder, only the guy with the knife will be found guilty in front of a court - but everyone who heard her scream, and didn't act, has a moral liability for her death.

So, of cause: Every time a board a plane (to fly to Bangladesh, for example), every time I eat some cheese, or buy one another technical devise, I deliberately stab a knife into the back of the Bengali farmers, who cannot grow their crops any more due to lack of rain and salinity of the soil, the families getting hit by cyclones at the coastal belt, and those who drown in their flooded informal settlements in Dhaka.

... but I start wondering whether being an all-green-lifestyle, vegan and low-carbon bystander really makes things better - or just makes me feel better about not actually doing anything.

Background of these thoughts: My research centre hosted an official dinner for alumni of the short course (everyone at this table, except for me), and friends and guest.

This is Dr. Saleemul Huq, director of ICCCAD. One of the best story-tellers, and people, I've ever met. I highly recommend you to read some of his articles.