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Last year was Earth’s third hottest globally, but temperature is just one measure of climate change’s influence.
Jan. 13, 2026, 10:05 p.m. ET
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Climate change is drying out landscapes and setting the stage for larger and more frequent wildfires around the world. A 2024 study found that the frequency and intensity of wildfires have doubled in the past two decades.
In January, flames overtook 60 square miles of Los Angeles neighborhoods, displaced more than 100,000 people and polluted the region with a cocktail of toxic chemicals as cars and buildings burned.
The start of the year also came with large fires in Patagonia in South America. Throughout the rest of the year, millions of acres in the Amazon basin burned as well.
