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“The CAN-DO Attitude” All rights reserved
The Climate Accord Nexus (Definitive Opportunity and Attitude)
- Dr. Paul J. Croft
The Climate Accord Nexus: “The CAN-DO Attitude”
The recent Global Climate Accord has been swiftly hailed and derided as nearly 200 nations have come
to an agreement on steps to slow and reverse human impact on climate. Indeed, getting so many
nations on-board for an agreement with a planetary scope is quite an accomplishment for any global
initiative. It may be more appropriate to think of it as a Global Charter for the Planet. Why all the fuss?
It is always prudent to protect one's environment and self-interests. Yet we would not do so without
assessing the costs and effectiveness of taking actions needed to do so. The Climate Accord considers
the interests of others – not one at the expense of another. The Accord acknowledges human-based
climate change and impacts in a comprehensive manner and provides for action by participating
countries to lower global greenhouse gas and carbon emissions, to share the burden of reduction
among countries, and to continue to monitor and study the atmosphere and global climate system.
Combined, these aspects of the Climate Accord offer a time-oriented and concerted response that is
necessary without being draconian or overly burdensome to any one country's economic interests. Is
the agreement "perfect" as conceived? Of course not. Is the agreement a means by which the world can
move forward globally, holistically, and in a coordinated manner to limit and attempt to reverse human-
impacts on the Environment? Absolutely. The agreement is for the global community based upon our
impacts and interactions with the global climate system.
“Is the agreement a means by which the world can move forward globally, holistically,
and in a coordinated manner to limit and attempt to reverse human-impacts on the
Environment? Absolutely.”
To ponder the nature, intent, implementation, and significance of the Climate Accord a bit more deeply,
consider for a moment “thinking outside the box” (an overused term since the 1960s) as well as beyond
immediate backyards with regard to global climate. Think about box inputs, outputs, and repercussions.
Global climate change and a warming climate could be related to the management of a campfire (or an
economy). If the campfire is still burning and more fuel is added the campfire remains intact (producing
heat and light as intended for the campers) and grows in strength (like a burgeoning economy) while
also generating more pollution (in this case carbon emissions). If input of fuel to the campfire is reduced,
or if the type of fuel is changed to be "cleaner" and of a more sustainable variety of fuel then the fire's

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impact on the Environment is diminished while still providing for the needs of the campers (our global
society). In the case of the economic analogy here, one that is more robust with greater productivity and
efficiency as it grows in size and population.
To push a little further with the construct of “thinking outside-the-box”, what if we extinguish or replace
the campfire fuel (think resources and economy) with an alternative form or method – after all, it might
sound like a "good idea" and be more sustainable for the environment. Yet it would also require a full-
scale and immediate rapid-fire change in global societies, infrastructures, and industries that is neither
palatable nor realistic. In other words, a response to limiting and reducing impact while reasonable and
based upon scientific study must also weigh and consider political and socio-economic reality from a
global perspective. It must consider them simultaneously and collectively to be effective and to make
any practical sense to our human condition – all of which exists “inside-the-box”.
“…a response to limiting and reducing impact while reasonable and based upon
scientific study must also weigh and consider political and socio-economic reality from
a global perspective.”
This is why flexibility is built-in and important to the Climate Accord. It allows for perseverance towards
end goals and ongoing revision of management strategies without constantly returning to a negotiation
table or missing opportunities. This is not to suggest that specifics in terms of actions and timelines are
unimportant or that volunteerism or specific sacrifices could prove to be difficult for nations; it is simply
to acknowledge the complexity of the situation and the need for it to work among a larger community of
global stakeholders with varying interests, investments, and purposes if it is to be successful.
The Climate Accord is a significant landmark as it considers where we are now, where we would like to
be, and how we hope to get there. If viewed as an opportunity for creativity and change, then it will be
successful. If viewed as merely a set of constraints, then it will be unlikely to spur action or
entrepreneurial response. When considering our natural and human-made environments it is imperative
that we incorporate with our understanding and management of the planet's resources that each of
these are integrally linked and intertwined in such a way that local, regional, and global responsibility is
something we all have in common and a stewardship that we all must share.
While there will always be forces beyond our control on this planet, it is clear that we have shaped and
changed the Earth and its Environment historically and during modern eras of all civilizations. The point
of the Climate Accord is not to limit our futures or to abandon the world marketplaces; it is to manage
our impact in a positive manner to allow growth through an intervention strategy designed to take
advantage of our technological capabilities as well as our capacity to adapt and to create. This is what
has driven modern-day Sustainability and Environmental Sciences in the United States and around the
world during the past few decades.
“The point is not to limit our futures…it is to manage our impact in a positive manner
to allow growth…an intervention strategy…to take advantage of our technological
capabilities as well as our capacity to adapt and to create.”
It could be asked whether this is really worth all the effort. Remember that history provides the answer:
there have been multiple human responses to climate and climate change. Mass migrations due to
unprecedented drought or agricultural losses or the increased severity and frequency of storms and
seasonal shifts forcing lifestyle and economic changes – some of which have had major political

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consequences. The consequences of climate change also lead to societal impacts which generate
conflicts locally, regionally, and globally. That means climate change poses a real and ever-present
threat to security and peace on the planet.
“The consequences of climate change also…generate conflicts locally, regionally, and
globally…a real and ever-present threat to security and peace on the planet.”
If we intend to live in a more sustainable manner and reduce the need to respond to significant climate
shifts that harm, destroy, and invalidate our existing infrastructures (or societal expectations and norms)
then we must take steps as a global society to reduce both those threats to our livelihoods and to
expand the resiliency of our responses.
What about the option of taking “no action” or a “wait-and-see” how to react approach?
That campfire we left unattended a few paragraphs ago can lead to additional or unexpected
consequences. Even if we extinguished the campfire there are residual effects. The embers and fuel
remain warm, they continue to release carbon, and it takes time to diminish what was set in motion. We
must acknowledge that our responses will help, even in the face of residual effects that will linger in the
climate system for some time.
Yes, thinking “outside-the-box” can be helpful; but more importantly at the end of the day is that we
remember who is “inside-the-box”…
That would be all of us…
Dr. Paul J. Croft
Atmospheric, Environmental, & Climate Scientist
Education, Policy, and Consulting
For further background and information, see also…
www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-j-croft/12/713/aba/ and
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul_Croft2/
Post-script
Thanks to an excellent restaurant server (named John#23) for providing the “handmade” box pictured.
The Climate Accord Nexus is an important World Charter in the fullest sense as it connects and considers
the multiple linkages and modalities found within the Earth’s Environment, its interactions with societal
systems, and the very nature of Climate. Global cooperation and effort is an essential central link in this
process given that the Climate System has no geo-political boundaries nor investments in the socio-
economic interests of the human inhabitants on Planet Earth. We are at a very important and historical
nexus in the Environment.
[Written/Posted: December 2015]
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and intended for educational use.
All rights reserved.