South Korea’s Forest Fire Emissions Nearly Double, Fueling Climate Concerns | Be Korea-savvy

South Korea’s Forest Fire Emissions Nearly Double, Fueling Climate Concerns


South Korean forest fires released 2,345,182 tons of carbon dioxide through March 27 this year. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)

South Korean forest fires released 2,345,182 tons of carbon dioxide through March 27 this year. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)

SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Carbon dioxide emissions from forest fires in South Korea have nearly doubled compared to last year’s total, raising concerns about a potential feedback loop where climate change and wildfires accelerate each other’s impacts.

According to Our World in Data, South Korean forest fires released 2,345,182 tons of carbon dioxide through March 27 this year, approximately 1.8 times higher than the total emissions from forest fires in 2024, which reached 1,335,848 tons.

Experts warn that when forests burn, their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis diminishes, while stored carbon is released into the atmosphere. Additional carbon dioxide is created when the carbon in trees combines with oxygen during combustion.

The recent surge in large forest fires, particularly in North Gyeongsang Province between March 20 and 27, occurred during weather conditions that deviated significantly from 30-year averages. The Korea Meteorological Administration reported average temperatures of 13.3 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees higher than the 1996-2025 average. Relative humidity dropped 2.6 percentage points below normal to 55.3%, while wind speeds increased slightly to 2.4 meters per second.

These conditions, characterized by higher temperatures and lower humidity linked to climate change, likely contributed to both the scale and duration of the fires, officials said.

To mitigate this feedback loop between climate change and forest fires, experts recommend focusing on natural forest restoration rather than artificial interventions like seeding or transplanting trees.

“Soil contains the genetic information of the forest that previously existed there – its ‘potential vegetation,’” said an ecologist who requested anonymity. “The key is creating an environment where this potential vegetation can naturally regenerate.”

Some experts also advocate for better monitoring of fire-prone areas based on detailed analysis of tree species composition. “Just as doctors continue to examine patients after treatment, it’s crucial to monitor changes in areas affected by forest fires,” said Seo Jae-cheol, a specialist at Green Korea United. “This data could provide the basis for installing emergency fire suppression systems.”

M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com) 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>