At the end of a long week in Madrid, at the 25th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP), it’s hard to work out what the official negotiations accomplished. What’s clear is that between youth protesters, state governments, NGOs and forward thinking businesses, a great deal of climate action is taking place outside the UN framework. The path forward is likely to be more local action, with an international focus on sectors like cement and steel that can reduce their climate footprint. Durwood Zaelke, Haizea Ruiz Hueso, Eric Nordman, and Romina Picolotti explain how.