Recent research in the natural sciences journal Nature Communications confirmed an already well-held belief, that “human-caused climate change is raising the odds of extreme climate-driven fire years across forested regions of the globe.” Fire has long played a natural role in shaping the world’s landscapes. In certain regions, fires are necessary and beneficial but not all fires are created equal. As highlighted in a recent collection published on the World Economic Forum’s Strategic Intelligence platform, rising temperatures, lower humidity and prolonged drought have transformed fire into a destructive force. These supercharged wildfires now rank among the greatest threats to forests worldwide. They threaten the stability of ecosystems and communities and increase net carbon emissions from forests and other ecosystems, long considered stable carbon vaults. Instead of isolated local emergencies, we need to treat wildfires as a global, structural threat. This requires a fundamentally new, multi-national and tightly-coordinated effort, resting on five key pillars.