Climate change is recognized as a major threat to global biodiversity and has already caused extensive regional extinction. In particular danger are the plant habitats in subalpine zones, which are more vulnerable to climate change. Evergreen coniferous trees in South Korean subalpine zones are currently designated as a species that need special care given their conservation value, but the reason for their decline and its seriousness remains unclear. This research estimates the potential land suitability (LS) of the subalpine zones in South Korea for six coniferous species vulnerable to climate change in the current time (1970–2000) and two future periods, the 2050s (2041–2060) and the 2070s (2061–2080). We analyze the ensemble-averaged loss of currently suitable habitats in the future, using nine species distribution models (SDMs). Korean arborvitae (Thuja koraiensis) and Khingan fir (Abies nephrolepis) are two species expected to experience significant habitat losses in 2050 (−59.5% under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 to −65.9% under RCP 8.5 and −56.3% under RCP 4.5 to −57.7% under RCP 8.5, respectively). High extinction risks are estimated for these species, due to the difficulty of finding other suitable habitats with high LS. The current habitat of Korean fir (Abies koreana), listed as a threatened species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, is expected to decrease by −23.9% (RCP 4.5) to −28.4% (RCP 8.5) and −36.5% (RCP 4.5) to −36.7% (RCP 8.5) in the 2050s and 2070s, respectively. Still, its suitable habitats are also estimated to expand geographically toward the northern part of the Baekdudaegan mountain range. In the context of forest management and adaptation planning, the multi-model ensemble approach to mapping future shifts in the range of subalpine tree species under climate change provides robust information about the potential distribution of threatened and endanger

Extreme climatic events have increased in frequency and intensity over tha last decades due to global warming. Our study evaluates spatial distribution of changes in climate extreme indices on the Korean Peninsula by downscaled high-resolution data based on an empirical quantile mapping technique and 29 global climate models. Grid‐based observation data with 3.0 km resolution derived from weather stations with data covering 30 years from 1976 to 2005 using a modified PRISM approach were used as reference data for bias-correction. Future projections until 2100 based on two Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios of CMIP5 were considered for the variables of daily precipitation, minimum temperature, and maximum temperature. We finally estimated spatial changes in climate extreme indices at 3.0 km resolution. The reproducibility assessment of simple precipitation intensity index (SDII) and annual total precipitation in wet days (PRCPTOT) showed applicability of techniques for downscaling, with the biggest difference of 2.66% and 1.91%, respectively, compared to the observation. The annual maximum 5-day precipitation (Rx5day) and annual maximum value of maximum temperature (TXx) showed highest increase rate under the far future period and RCP8.5 scenario. The derived spatial distribution of climate extreme indices based on a multi‐model ensemble can contribute to vulnerability assessment at a national scale by reducing uncertainties caused by selecting a specific climate model.

The frequency of forest fires worldwide has increased recently due to climate change, leading to severe and widespread damage. In this study, we investigate potential changes in the fire susceptibility of areas in South Korea arising from climate change. We constructed a dataset of large-scale forest fires from the past decade and employed it in machine learning models that integrate climatic, socioeconomic, and environmental variables to assess the risk of forest fires. According to the results of these models, the eastern region is identified as highly vulnerable to forest fires during the baseline period, while the western region is classified as relatively safe. However, in the future, certain areas along the western coast are predicted to become more susceptible to forest fires. Consequently, as climate change continues, the risk of domestic forest fires is expected to increase, leading to the need for proactive prevention measures and careful management. This study contributes to the understanding of forest fire occurrences under diverse climate scenarios.

Abnormal climate phenomena caused by climate change are becoming more frequent and causing growing environmental, social, and economic damage. This has led to the expectation of further discussion and movements related to climate justice both domestically and internationally. Accordingly, research evaluating and analyzing climate justice is necessary. Therefore, this study seeks to conduct climate justice analysis for local governments in Korea. An analysis of climate justice was carried out for all local governments in Korea, focusing on the heatwave among abnormal climate phenomena caused by climate change. In order to discover climate injustice in each region, local governments with higher levels of vulnerability and exposure indicators among heatwave-prone areas were identified. Urban areas with a high population density, a large total population, a low urban green plot ratio, and a high urbanization area ratio were most likely to be climate injustice areas. Also, some local governments with climate injustice have a higher number of recipients of basic living support but fewer emergency medical facilities and cooling shelters compared to other local governments. Local governments that are vulnerable to climate injustice should be prioritized in terms of receiving support to address these inequalities, in order to provide services for climate-vulnerable groups suffering from climate crises caused by climate change.