New Delhi, Dec. 27 -- Climate Change and You is a fortnightly newsletter written by Bibek Bhattacharya and Sayantan Bera. Subscribe to the newsletter to get it directly in your inbox.

Dear reader,

The other day, a friend was narrating an incident from her recent work trip. She was staying at an ordinary hotel in Guwahati, Assam. The buffet breakfast was served in a small room that could accommodate fewer than 10 people. A guest, while taking his plate, dropped a spoon right in the middle of the tiny room. But instead of picking it up, he took another spoon and moved on.

A few more guests came for breakfast, but no one cared to pick it up. Even waiters attending to the buffet pretended as if the spoon wasn't there. Unable to bear this s...