WMO: Wildfires Shifted Global Methane Chemistry for First Time

The WMO's 22nd Greenhouse Gas Bulletin reports that wildfires altered the global isotopic composition of methane for the first time, detected at New Zealand's Baring Head station. The shift from mid-2023 to 2025 coincided with El Nino-driven fires and reduced wetland emissions.

• Baring Head station in New Zealand detected a global methane isotope shift in 2023–2025
• El Nino boosted fires while cutting methane from wetlands simultaneously
• Concentrations of all major greenhouse gases hit records in 2025
• Climate models miss 20–30% of warming from such feedback loops