Wildfires in Western U.S. Play a Role in Global Warming, Research Shows

Key Takeaways

Wildfires in the U.S. west are helping fuel climate change, research shows

Their smoke pumps chemicals into the air that react with sunlight to create ozone

Ozone is a key factor in global warming, while particles in the smoke put human health at risk

SATURDAY, Sept. 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Wildfires are an increasingly common feature of life in American West, and researchers are working overtime to understand how the resulting smoke affects air quality, human health and climate change.

"Wildfires do not emit ozone directly," Jan Mandel , a professor emeritus of mathematics at University of Colorado Denver, said in a news release. "Wildfire smoke contains chemical compounds that react with sunlight to produce ozone, often far from the fire itself."

In turn, that a