During the Christmas/New Year break I began reading Crazy Christians. So far it’s been pretty good. In one of the chapters it talked about Steve Jobs and Apple and one of their original commercials in the early 90’s. The founders of Apple were trying to rebrand their product. The tag line of the commercial was pretty simple: think different; think out of the box; think change.

There was a collage of photos of people who invented and inspired, created and sacrificed to improve, to change the way people think, to make a difference. The collage included Bob Dylan, Amelia Earhart, Frank Lloyd Wright, Maria Callas, Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jim Henson, Mother Teresa, Albert Einstein, Pablo Casals, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, and on and on and on. As the images roll by, a voice reads this poem:

Here’s to the crazy ones.  The misfits. The rebels.
The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.  They’re not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore.
They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world,
are the ones who do.

I read that poem several times. It was perfect for those Apple used in the collage.  It was perfect for what Apple was trying to do, namely, think differently, think change. However, most of us don’t find change to be that easy. For most of us, change is difficult.

For many, change is abhorrent. Why don’t people change? Why do businesses struggle with change? Why don’t Republicans change? Why don’t Democrats change? Why don’t political leaders change? (Hey, if you’ll elect me to be your president, I’d change in a millisecond, ala Donald Trump). More significantly, why doesn’t our industry change?

I thought of all this early one morning driving west out of Chicago wondering if the recent Paris Accord brought change. My answer, and I love to answer myself when no one is around, is “not really.” All that time and money and carbon footprint to bring 200 nations together!  What did it solve? Okay, an agreement, a “pledge,” a global pact, to fight climate change by cutting and ultimately eliminating global greenhouse gas. However, there were no sanctions, no penalties, just a pledge by each country to do its best to reduce. Oh, and by the way, a commitment by developed countries to kick in $100 billion per year to help the smaller, undeveloped nations. During the Paris Accord I was in India, wondering why the Paris meeting wasn’t held in Delhi or Mumbai or Hyderabad. Boy, talk about a need for change and an opportunity to demonstrate the problems. Too many people, too many cars, too much CO2, dirty water, and so on. What a great example of a planet under stress. Instead, they met in Paris, nest of civility and epicurean delights.  Except, of course, for the sad, sad terrorist attack. But, I’m straying.

In summary, the Paris Accord brought:
Long-term Goal: To make sure global warming stays “well below” 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit and to “pursue efforts” to limit the temperature rise to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. (Temperatures have already increased by about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since pre-industrial times.)

Emission Targets: Countries agreed to set national targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions every five years.  More than 180 countries have submitted targets for the first cycle beginning in 2020. Only developed countries are expected to slash their emissions in “absolute terms.” Developing nations are “encouraged” to do so as they are able.

Transparency: There is no penalty if you miss your emission targets. But this part of the agreement encourages countries to try to do what they say they will do. All countries must report on their emissions and their efforts to reduce. However, the “transparency” allows for flexibility.

Money: As mentioned, wealthy countries (hah) will fulfill their annual $100 billion by 2020 (watch the US debate on this).
Loss and Damage: In a victory for small countries, particularly small island nations threatened by rising seas, the agreement includes a section recognizing “loss and damage” associated with climate related disasters. But there is a caveat:  “loss and damage does not include liability or compensation.”

“Most of us don’t find change to be that easy. For most of us, change is difficult. For many, change is abhorrent. ”

I suppose this is change. But it is so loosey-goosey, nebulous, if you ask me. Not the kind of change I wanted. Certainly not what Apple was looking for. On the other hand, climate change is different from Steve Jobs/Apple change.  Two hundred nations, big and small, rich and poor, different cultures, different religions, different political persuasions – maybe this tiny movement/agreement is better than anything before. Maybe this is change. Maybe change at its best. Instead of looking to politicians to tell us we will die if we don’t reduce greenhouse gas, instead of listening to Henry Paulson, retired US Treasury Secretary and Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, comparing climate change to economic instability, maybe just maybe, the Paris Accord has allowed us to creep forward toward change in commitment. Maybe, as David Yarnold (Audubon) put it, the Paris Accord, “Approved the global agreement to meet a science-based target for reducing greenhouse gases. I thought this is what the starting line looks like. In a big, messy process like COP21 getting started toward a common goal is the first hurdle and the toughest.  Nobody ever finished a marathon by starting at mile 26, and my view is that the reporting out of Paris didn’t give enough credit to the world leaders for just getting started.  After all, this may well be the most significant environmental agreement in history.”  Amen.

Tune in for my next column. Talk about change! I have a wonderful story to deliver about a city that has committed to 100% renewable energy.


Another Letter from the Earth.
Calvin Frost is chairman of Channeled Resources Group, headquartered in Chicago, the parent company of Maratech International and GMC Coating. His email address is cfrost@channeledresources.com.