"If Greenhouse Gas Emissions Continue Like Now, 6% of Domestic Species Will Go Extinct"

National Institute of Ecology Publishes Data Book Predicting Ecosystem Damage Due to Climate Change

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] A study has found that if greenhouse gases continue to be emitted at the current level until the end of the 21st century, "6% of species may become extinct due to their inability to adapt to rapid temperature increases."

The National Institute of Ecology under the Ministry of Environment disclosed on the 11th the results of a study conducted from 2015 to 2020 on the damage climate change may cause to South Korea's ecosystems.

This study comprehensively evaluated the impact of climate change on South Korea's ecosystems, targeting approximately 5,700 species of wild animals and plants, about 2,500 inland wetlands, around 800 freshwater aquatic ecosystems, 162 tidal flats, and forests covering about 60,000 km².

The research diagnosed damage scenarios by applying two main scenarios: "if greenhouse gases are left as they are" and "if greenhouse gases are actively reduced."

First, if greenhouse gases continue to be emitted globally at the same trend as in 2017 until the end of the 21st century, resulting in an average temperature rise of more than 4.5℃ on the Korean Peninsula compared to 1880, 336 species (6%) out of the 5,700 wild animals and plants in South Korea could become extinct. Benthic invertebrate species inhabiting freshwater ecosystems, such as Guseul-daseulgi and Cham-jaecheop, which have difficulty migrating habitats, are predicted to suffer significant damage.

The temperature rise caused by climate change is expected to mainly cause ecological disturbances by invasive species in wetlands and aquatic ecosystems. The temperature increase provides a climate environment where habitats of invasive species originating from subtropical and tropical regions, such as Nutria and largemouth bass, can expand. For example, the number of inland wetlands expected to be damaged by Nutria is 32 under active greenhouse gas reduction, but 120 otherwise (about 5% of the approximately 2,500 wetlands in the country), predicting about a fourfold difference in ecological disturbance damage.

Climate change is also analyzed to increase the occurrence of extreme droughts, which will cause the disappearance of inland wetlands. The number of inland wetlands disappearing under active greenhouse gas reduction is expected to be limited to 22. However, if not, 657 wetlands (about 26% of the total 2,500 wetlands in the country) are predicted to be exposed to the risk of disappearance, showing about a 30-fold difference.

Park Yong-mok, director of the National Institute of Ecology, said, "This study diagnosed the damage to ecosystems caused by climate change, but additional research is needed on how such damage will affect humans," adding, "We will continue related research to minimize the predicted ecosystem damage and secure the sustainability of our ecosystems."

The full research report will be available on the National Institute of Ecology website starting from the 12th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.