Assessment of the Carbon Budget of Local Governments in South Korea

Abstract

This study was carried out to assess the carbon budget of local governments in South Korea. The carbon budget was obtained from the difference between net ecosystem productivity (NEP) that the natural ecosystem displays, and carbon dioxide emissions calculated from energy consumption in each local government. NEP was obtained from the difference between net primary productivity, measured by an allometric method, and soil respiration, measured with EGM-4 in natural forests and artificial plantations. Heterotrophic respiration was adjusted to 55% level of the total soil respiration based on existing research results. A field survey to obtain information for components of the carbon cycle was conducted in Cheongju (central Korea) and Yeosu (southern Korea). Pinus densiflora, Quercus acutissima, and Quercus mongolica (central Korea) and P. densiflora and Q. acutissima (southern Korea) forests were selected as the natural forests. Pinus rigida and Larix kaempferi (central Korea) and P. rigida (southern Korea) plantations were selected as the artificial plantations. Vegetation types were classified by analyzing LandSat images by applying a GIS program. CO2 emissions were the highest in Pohang, Gwangyang, and Yeosu, where the iron and the petrochemical industrial complexes are located. CO2 emissions per unit area were the highest in Seoul, followed by Pohang and Gwangyang. CO2 absorption was the highest in the Gangwon province, where the forest area ratio to the total area is the highest, and the lowest in the metropolitan areas such as Seoul, Incheon, Daegu, Daejeon, and Gwangju. The number of local governments in which the amount of absorption is more than the emission amount was highest in Gangwon-do, where 10 local governments showed a negative carbon budget. Eight, seven, five, five, three, and three local governments in Gyeongsangbuk-do, Jeollanam-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Jeollabuk-do, Gyeonggi-do, and Chungcheongbuk-do, respectively, showed a negative carbon budget where the amount of carbon absorption was greater than the emission amount. The carbon budget showed a very close correlation with carbon emission, and the carbon emission showed a significant correlation with population size. Moreover, the amount of carbon absorption showed a negative correlation with population size, population density, and non-forest area, and a positive correlation with the total area of the forest, coniferous forest area, and broad-leaved forest area. Considering the reality that carbon emissions exceed their absorption, measures to secure absorption sources should be considered as important as measures to reduce carbon emissions to achieve carbon neutrality in the future. As a measure to secure absorption sources, it is proposed to improve the quality of existing absorption sources, secure new absorption sources such as riparian forests, and efficiently arrange absorption sources.

Response of Plant Phenology on Microclimate Change Depending on Land Use Intensity in Seoul, Central Korea

“…It is widely known that excessive land use, along with the excessive use of fossil fuels, increases the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and consequently leads to climate change today. According to the results of a study at the national level in Korea, the intensity of land use by local governments was significantly correlated with the increase in local temperature and carbon budget [106]. As shown in the results of this study (Figures 4-6), even at the local level, the increase in temperature tends to be proportional to the land use intensity, and the phenology of plants affected by climate also responded to such changes.…”

“…Therefore, restoring degraded nature as well as conserving existing nature can contribute either to the mitigation or adaptation of climate change [105,111]. Ecological restoration, particularly in terms of the reforestation and restoration of degraded land, is often recognized as one of the important responses to climate change because such activities help influence the planet's carbon budget in a positive way [105,106,112,113].…”

Long-term ecological monitoring in South Korea: progress and perspectives

“…Quantitative estimation of the carbon budget in forests is crucial for understanding the global carbon balance and climate change (Cox et al 2000). The CO 2 sink or source of forests is modified by complex component processes of carbon absorption and release depending on the climate, soil, age of the forest, and composition of plant species (Kim et al 2022). CO 2 concentrations and f luxes were measured at a height of 33 m above the ground by using an open-path CO 2 /H 2 O analyzer and an ultrasonic anemometer at a broad-leaved deciduous forest (Quercus mongolica) site for the KLTER in Jeombong-san, Korea (Joo et al 2011).…”

The perspective of multi-parties to the implementation of Forestry and Other Land Use (FoLU) net sink in Central Sulawesi

“…The establishment of forests is critical for biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation [1,2]. It can reduce emissions by providing resilient ecosystems with stable carbon storage [3][4][5]. However, there has been widespread worry about global warming in recent decades, exacerbated by greenhouse gas emissions [6][7][8].…”

“…Therefore, has a lot of article publications reviewed it. From an aspect spatial [11][12][13]; socio-economic [14][15][16][17]; forestry policy [18][19][20]; carbon calculation and or estimation [4,21,22]; local community-based mitigation and adaptation [17,[23][24][25].…”