This policy brief is the result of an event, convened by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network and the PwC network in October 2012, at which leading thinkers presented their ideas for increasing the collective global ambition for climate action. Key conclusions include: despite some progress made in the negotiations, the specialist audience was sceptical about the prospects of 'business as usual' leading to a meaningful global deal by 2015; the quality of the negotiation process and chances of success could be improved, if there were a better gender balance and greater civil society participation, country groupings were more flexible, and the 'climate narrative' was re-directed towards seizing the new opportunities offered by a the move to a green economy and society; there are options to make progress outside the negotiation process, such as the use of legal mechanisms; and there is a need for stronger and better focused civil society engagement to make the case for change.