A series of wildfires that broke out in Japan and South Korea in March this year were fuelled by human-induced climate change according to a new rapid analysis.
The analysis released by a group of European researchers, ClimaMeter, a EU-backed project studying the impact of climate change on extreme weather, said the ongoing wildfires in both countries were made more intense due to persistently dry soil, strong winds and unusually high temperatures.
In the present study, researchers compared patterns of the atmospheric pressure system of 1987-2023 with those of the 1950-1986 period, when they were less affected by climate change. The results showed that the weather in the latest period was warmer by up to 2 degrees Celsius, precipitation was down by up to 2mm per day and winds were stronger by up to 4.8kmph.
French National Centre for Scientific Research scientist Davide Faranda said, “In weeks, the region saw record snowfall and the worst fire in decades. Climate change isn’t just warming the planet, it is amplifying extremes of different nature, fuelling disasters from both fire and ice in the region.”
University Pablo de Olavide in Spain researcher Carmen Alvarez Castro said, “The wildfires in eastern Asia in March 2025, strengthened by human-driven climate change, underscore the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, stressing the urgent need to tackle the rising impacts of climate change.”
In their analysis, the researchers factored in different natural phenomena such as El Nino and concluded that, while some of these changes can be caused by natural variability, the contribution of human-driven climate change was undeniable.
While an average of 1,300 wildfires strike Japan every year, this year has seen a spate of events that are much worse than most. In addition to the Ofunato wildfire, which razed 2,900ha of vegetation, a forest fire in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture continues to rage, having spread some 300ha. The city has ordered a total of 3,800 households to evacuate from their homes.