Are You a Bystander or an Upstander?

This summer, my daughter Luna completed a basic water rescue course. Along with CPR and life-saving skills, she came home buzzing about something else entirely, the Bystander Effect - a psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help in emergencies when others are present. Everyone assumes someone else will step in.

It struck a nerve. “Mom, you should write about this on your blog,” she said. And she was right.

In fact, the Bystander Effect offers a compelling, and troubling mirror for our current climate crisis. The more people who know about the problem, the easier it becomes to assume someone else is taking care of it. The crowd grows, and our personal sense of responsibility shrinks. That’s why it’s time to reframe the story. Not with despair, but with hope and action.

From Bystander to Upstander

In psychology, another term related to inaction is pluralistic ignorance - the idea that if no one else seems worried, maybe there is nothing to worry about. When applied to climate change, this means we often wait for a cue from others before acting, even when the signs of crisis are all around us.

And make no mistake, climate change is an emergency! It is no longer a distant threat. It is happening now, with real-time consequences, unprecedented heat waves, record-breaking wildfires, and increasingly devastating floods. Every year of delay narrows our chance of avoiding the worst outcomes.

But here’s the hopeful twist, we are not powerless. In fact, every time we resist the bystander instinct, we help shape a more sustainable future. We don’t need permission to care. We need only the courage to lead.

Defining the Upstander

An Upstander is someone who chooses action over apathy. They understand that their voice matters, their choices count, and their leadership, big or small, can shift culture. They don’t wait for a trend. They start one.

And here’s the good news, Upstanding behavior is contagious. Studies show people are more likely to act when they know they are being observed. In other words, when you make climate-friendly choices, whether it’s biking to work, picking up litter, or hosting a plant-based dinner, you send a powerful signal. Others notice. And follow.

Simple Ways to Be an Upstander for the Planet

You don’t have to start with a global campaign. Begin with something easy and close to home:

• Pick up litter wherever you are. One or two pieces at the park or grocery store set an example others will follow.
• Use social media for solutions. Post climate action ideas, not just problems. Your voice can influence your digital community.
• Start a sustainability club at your school or workplace. Focus on reusables, composting, and recycling, the basics still matter.
• Organize a neighborhood swap. Like a yard sale, but with trading instead of buying. It encourages community and reduces waste.
• Host a plant-based BBQ. Make it fun, make it tasty, and make it part of the new normal.

Start small. Start now. Start somewhere.

The Climate Needs Leaders, Not Spectators

As the author Rex Weyler reminds us, humanity must form an alliance with the living ecosystems that sustain us. Earth will rebalance itself - with or without us. The question is whether we will choose to adapt, lead, and thrive together, or continue to wait for someone else to act.

At the end of the day, it’s not just a psychological curiosity, it’s a moral challenge:

• Will you be a bystander, watching the world change around you?
• Or will you be an Upstander, helping to change it for the better?

The next generation is watching. Let’s lead the way.

About the Author:
Kimberly Haidinger is the debut author of A Kid’s Guide to Climate Activism, the first book in The Climate Action Vocabulary Series, a nonfiction collection created to empower middle-grade readers with the language and tools to change the world. When she’s not writing or working on her next book, Kimberly shares ideas for climate-friendly living on her blog, The Carbon Emissions Project. She is passionate about inspiring change - one small step, one reader, and one powerful word at a time.

Learn more at www.thecarbonemissionsproject.com
Get the book: A Kid’s Guide to Climate Activism

References:

Bystander effect. (2024, November 12). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/bystander-effect

Hortensius, R., & De Gelder, B. (2018). From Empathy to Apathy: The bystander Effect revisited. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(4), 249–256. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417749653

Earth: one giant superorganism? (2020, June 28). Disruptr. https://disruptr.deakin.edu.au/environment/earth-one-giant-superorganism/

Weyler, R. (2019, October 25). Gaia: everything on Earth is connected - Rex Weyler - Greenpeace International. Greenpeace International. https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/24978/gaia-ecology-earth-is-connected-rex-weyler/

Dyke, J., & Lenton, T. (n.d.). Scientists finally have an explanation for the ‘Gaia puzzle.’ The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/scientists-finally-have-an-explanation-for-the-gaia-puzzle-99153

Lovelock, J. (2022, January 10). Beware: Gaia may destroy humans before we destroy the Earth. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/02/beware-gaia-theory-climate-crisis-earth