The latest instalment of the Fifth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change lays out the state of the world -- and the challenges ahead. When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its previous report in 2007, some scientists and many environmentalists were still loath to talk about adapting to climate change. The policy focus was squarely on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, and even talking about adaptation was often seen as defeatist. Thankfully, that sentiment has faded, and, although reducing emissions remains a paramount issue, climate-adaptation efforts are now under way in the private and public sectors in many countries. But as the latest instalment of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report -- covering climate impacts, adaptation and vulnerability -- makes all too clear, humanity has a long way to go in preparing for the effects that are already inevitable owing to our history, let alone for a future in which emissions continue to rise.