As 2018 comes to a close, it seems appropriate to reflect back on the year and the key events. At the time of writing, California is burning for the second time, with a spate of fires across the state in the middle of the summer (mid-July to August), and new flare ups in November. Over 1.6 million acres have burnt and the fires are the most destructive the state has seen. Further north, British Columbia, Canada, has had back-to-back record wildfire years, with 3.2 million acres of land burnt in 2018, the more destructive year (https://go.nature.com/2BgnieM). In our November 2017 editorial (Nat. Clim. Change 7, 755; 2017) we reflected on the 2017 wildfire season and questioned if it was a sign of things to come. This year has only reinforced those concerns.

Further to this, even Scandinavia was affected, a rare event, with fires breaking out in Finland, Russia, Norway and Sweden — where over 25,000 acres were burnt (https://go.nature.com/2Kem9Ht).

Australia suffered a severe winter drought, described by some as the worst drought in living history (https://go.nature.com/2A2EEdx), with the entire state of New South Wales, an area responsible for around one-quarter of agricultural output by value, declared to be in drought (https://go.nature.com/2AeNJQD). Although there was some welcome rainfall over the austral spring, with a moderate El Niño predicted, it does not seem that there will be sufficient rain to help the region recover fully.

The release of the awaited IPCC Special Report on 1.5 °C global warming (http://www.ipcc.ch/report/sr15/) provided a timeline for emissions reductions, with clear statements on the difference in impacts between a 1.5 and 2 °C world. Warming is already at 1 °C globally, and to keep 1.5 °C in sight, emissions need to be reduced by ~45% of 2010 levels by 2030 — creating headline statements that there are 12 years left to halt climate change. Climate change is here now, as seen by the impacts emerging; that timeline provides an opportunity to limit further impacts.

Politically, the Brazilian elections saw Jair Bolsonaro installed as president — a right-wing politician who campaigned on an anti-environment agenda (Nature 563, 5–6; 2018). Changes in Brazilian policies, including the abandonment of those on deforestation control and land use, could have significant implications for mitigation and climate targets (Nat. Clim. Change 8, 695–698; 2018), just when we collectively need to be increasing ambition and facing the challenge of mitigation as the impacts become more apparent.