If you gave the climate a localized “kick” – a strong radiative forcing or perturbation over a limited region – what would the impact on regional and global weather and climate be? In HETCLIF, an international team of experts in climate modelling, climate dynamics and atmospheric processes gathered in Oslo to provide answers to this question. We focused on already ongoing changes, such as the rapidly changing levels of air pollution over parts of Asia, and future changes such as large-scale afforestation or ice loss. Through a three-step evolution, we were able to make progress in understanding of the climate response to Asian aerosol emissions, to the future of climate change and emissions in Africa, and on the possible role of afforestation projects. We also focused on training the next generation of climate scientists, through a dedicated Early Career Researcher programme. In all, HETCLIF has let us address a major challenge for projecting near-term climate evolution: The role of local climate forcing, and how it interacts with global warming from greenhouse gases and internal variations.