hmm, i think what people mean when they say this is:
i would gladly trade the system which produces iphones for one which puts food on the plates of otherwise starving children
there's a mismatch between the narrow "my iphone" and the broad "plates of starving children"
Initself's point still stands ... you have the opportunity to do something now, however small it may be, about whatever things are important to you.
Instead, the author seems to be saying, "I want someone else to change their policies that impact the world so I can feel less guilty about the fact that I am doing nothing."
No you wouldn't. If that were true, you would have already done it.