Remotely sensed land surface temperature (LST) enables global modelling and monitoring carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes from peatlands. We aimed to provide the first overview of the LST potential for monitoring ecosystem respiration (Reco) in disturbed (drained and extracted) peatlands. We used chamber measured data (2017–2020) from five disturbed and two intact northern peatlands and LST data from Landsat 7, 8, and MODIS missions. First, we studied the strength of relationships between fluxes and their in-situ drivers: thermal and moisture conditions. Second, we examined the association between LST and in-situ temperatures. Third, we compared chamber measured Reco with the modelled Reco based on (i) in-situ measured surface temperature and (ii) MODIS LST. In-situ temperatures were a stronger driver of CO2 fluxes in disturbed sites (Spearman correlation R=0.8–0.9) than in intact ones (R=0.5–0.7). LST had a higher association with in-situ measured temperatures (mean R=0.74 for MODIS) in disturbed sites and weaker in the intact peatlands (mean R=0.34 for Landsat and 0.36 for MODIS). Reco models driven by MODIS LST and in-situ surface temperature yielded similar accuracy: R-squared was 0.26, 0.64, 0.65 and 0.28, 0.68, 0.58 for intact, drained and extracted sites, correspondingly. Therefore, LST has a great potential to be utilized in Reco models as a proxy of thermal regime in disturbed and intact northern peatlands.