COP28 has come to an end. After almost two weeks of intensive deliberation, the almost 200 participating nations, i.e. de facto the entire global community, were able to agree on a final text after all. Never before has a COP had more participants - there are said to have been up to 100,000; and never before have there been so many corporate lobbyists alongside the usual large number of NGOs and country delegations. This made the COP very confusing. For example, almost 150 events on the topic of hydrogen took place at various locations. It was therefore impossible to attend all the relevant events.

Another observation: the fossil fuel industry alone is said to have been present with up to 2,000 lobbyists. This is not reprehensible per se, but it makes it clear how hard it is to find solutions. There are still many countries that want to maintain the transformation path to a green future for as long as possible - with arguments that are entirely plausible from their point of view. After all, the energy transition must ultimately succeed precisely where a lot of money is still being made with fossil fuels or where the promise of prosperity for the near future is linked to fossil fuels. And where there is already acceptance and the political will for rapid decarbonization, the energy transition must not only be possible, but also economically and socially feasible and compatible with the important good of energy security.

One thing is clear: beyond the lofty political goals and declarations of intent, there will ultimately only be a secure path to achieving the Paris climate targets if innovative and efficient companies pave the way - or even better: lead the way. Without pressure from outside through quotas or penalties, but out of their own conviction and also with their own money.

Many companies saw this COP as a platform for public commitments. Accordingly, this COP was used in particular to conclude agreements on specific industrial climate projects or to present decarbonization projects. This is good news for climate protection - because not only were ambitious targets announced, but agreements with very concrete measures were signed.

Another important aspect is that, away from the public perception and reporting, which always focuses on the tug-of-war over the final document, numerous meetings take place at the COP that provide an opportunity for networking and coordination. Many of the participating NGOs have the unique opportunity to reach all relevant stakeholders and formulate common positions.