NEW ZEALAND REPORT RECORDS HIGHEST-EVER GREENHOUSE GAS LEVELS

Greenhouse gas concentrations in New Zealand's atmosphere have reached their highest recorded levels, according to a government report published on Wednesday. The Our Atmosphere and Climate 2026 report, produced by the environment ministry and the statistics agency Stats NZ, found that the Baring Head monitoring station near Wellington recorded its highest-ever readings of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in 2025. The report stated that "the climate we have known is entering uncharted territory", adding that adaptation depends on "the ability of ecosystems and our society to adapt to the speed of this change". Dr Alison Collins, chief science adviser at the ministry, said "the signal is just becoming clearer" with multiple indicators pointing to increased warming.

The report recorded carbon dioxide at Baring Head reaching 423 parts per million in December 2025, which it said was about 51 per cent above the pre-industrial level, while separately noting a 30 per cent rise in carbon dioxide since New Zealand monitoring began in 1972. Methane peaked at 1,902 parts per billion in September, roughly 163 per cent above pre-industrial levels, and nitrous oxide reached 338 parts per billion in December, about 25 per cent higher. The report said New Zealand's annual average temperature has risen by 1.36C since records began in 1909, with seven of the ten warmest years occurring in the last decade. New Zealand's roughly 3,000 glaciers shrank in volume from 56 cubic kilometres in 1997 to 30 cubic kilometres in 2023, the report found.

Modelling in the report suggests glaciers could lose between 14 and 86 per cent of their remaining volume by 2100 under a low-emissions scenario, rising to between 69 and 100 per cent under high emissions. Heatwaves are projected to become more frequent, longer and more intense, particularly across the northern North Island, with days above 25C expected to increase by 2050. The report also forecasts that the heaviest one-day rainfall could intensify by between 8 and 28 per cent by the end of the century under high emissions. Collins said the changes represented "a significant baseline shift" with "substantial loss" expected for glaciers.