Europe experienced the hottest summer on record this year. Consequences: drought, forest fires, lack of water. In Pakistan, devastating flooding has claimed the lives of thousands of people; in Somalia, the worst drought in decades is now leading to famine. Everywhere you look, the climate crisis is already bringing death and destruction. Yet negotiations at this year’s UN climate summit have been tough. The joint final declaration – if adopted at all – is likely to be toothless. Not surprisingly, some states would prefer to bury the Paris climate goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees and thus preventing its worst effects. In any case, previous conferences have hardly resulted in governments finally taking a strong stand against the climate crisis. Therefore, other approaches are needed. Here’s what ETH climatologist Sonya Seneviratne suggests: countries that are ready to take serious and binding climate action should move forward together—regardless of climate summits. As a wealthy country, Switzerland must play a pioneering role in turning this proposal into reality.