A blazing spring: How should we ‘adapt’?

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A blazing spring: How should we ‘adapt’?

Published: 31 Mar. 2025, 00:02

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Choi Hyeon-chul

The author is national news editor at the JoongAng Ilbo.

The wildfire that began on Jan. 7 in Los Angeles, California, was not fully extinguished until the end of the month. The flames scorched an area the size of Tongyeong, Korea — approximately 23,000 hectares — and left around 60 people dead or missing. The financial toll exceeded 400 trillion won ($272 billion).

Many experts point to climate change as the root cause of the massive Los Angeles wildfire. Fires ignite when three conditions are met: high temperatures, low humidity and available fuel. Add strong winds, and the flames spread rapidly and uncontrollably. Early last year, heavy rains in Los Angeles fueled lush vegetation growth. But after May, rainfall vanished. The once-green brush withered and turned into tinder. Just then, fierce “Santa Ana” winds swept in, transforming a small spark into a catastrophe. This scientific explanation proved far more persuasive than conspiracy theories blaming Governor Gavin Newsom for draining dams to protect a species of fish, thus allegedly sabotaging firefighting efforts.

Wildfire victims and their families check the damage in a village in Andong, North Gyeongsang, on March 29. [YONHAP]

After the fire was extinguished, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass abruptly dismissed Fire Chief Kristin Crowley. Mayor Bass had already faced intense criticism for slashing $17.6 million (about 26 billion won) from the fire department’s budget last year, thereby weakening its wildfire response capabilities. She had also emptied the Santa Ynez Reservoir for maintenance, leaving hydrants dry. Nonetheless, she pinned the blame on the fire chief, claiming she had sent more than 1,000 firefighters home on the first day of the blaze.

While climate change may be fueling the rise in megafires, the scale of damage often hinges on the effectiveness of early response. Donald Trump's declaration that “climate change is a hoax” willfully ignores reality, but laying all the blame on global warming is equally irresponsible. Research shows that once carbon dioxide is emitted, it remains in the atmosphere for over 50 years, continuing to trap heat. Even if we halted net emissions today, global temperatures would continue to rise in the short term. Typhoons, floods, droughts, wildfires, rising sea levels and food insecurity — these are the inevitable consequences. But blaming the climate alone and doing nothing is not an option. That’s why adaptation to climate change is as critical as carbon neutrality.

When the Los Angeles wildfire broke out, Korea’s National Institute of Forest Science warned that “wildfires are becoming year-round,” and that the same could happen here. Just three months later, that prediction became a reality in the Yeongnam region. This area saw record-low rainfall over the winter and unusually intense sunshine. A sudden jump in temperature — reaching nearly 28°C after a cold snap — ignited the flames. Carried over the Sobaek mountain range by hot, dry winds, the fire spread rapidly, mirroring the Los Angeles disaster. Thirty lives were lost, and 45,000 hectares in North Gyeongsang Province were scorched — far surpassing the LA fire in scope.

Since 2011, the Korean government has drafted five-year climate adaptation plans. This year marks the end of the third cycle. Reviewing the wildfire section of the plan revealed something unexpected: all the latest countermeasures currently being discussed are already included. These range from expanding aerial firefighting units and forest thinning to building new access roads, acquiring drones, heavy-duty helicopters and high-capacity water tankers. The problem isn’t the planning — it’s the execution. The elite firefighting unit has only 460 members, barely a third of its target size of 1,200. The government still cannot afford the large helicopters. Plans to attach water tanks to military cargo planes were rejected by the Ministry of National Defense. Drones repeatedly fail to meet technical requirements, leading to bidding failures.

Even more troubling is that the plan does not mention evacuation or rescue. As the fire spread faster than alerts or forecasts could keep up, communication systems collapsed. Elderly residents, already limited in mobility, were stranded — leading to unprecedented loss of life.

Evacuees eat lunch at the Cheongsong National Sports Center, a shelter for evacuees from the wildfire in Cheongson, North Gyeongsang, on March 30. [YONHAP]

And this may only be the beginning. The real test comes in April and May, when Gangwon Province faces peak wildfire risks. In truth, wildfires could become a year-round threat, recurring next year and the year after. We must now faithfully implement existing plans and shore up what’s lacking. We may not be able to prevent fires altogether, but we can prevent large-scale devastation. In this era of climate crisis, adaptation isn’t a passive concession — it’s our most proactive strategy.

Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.