Global Plant Growth Accelerates Thanks to Higher Carbon Dioxide Levels, New Research Finds
Photo: Shutterstock.
By Chris Morrison.
Translation: Martien de Wit.
The pace of global greening, caused by the recent increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, has accelerated over the past two decades, according to key new findings recently published by a group of Chinese scientists. About 55% of the global landmass showed an "accelerated increase" in vegetation growth, compared to only 7.3% who showed increased decline, or "browning." Global greening due to higher CO2 levels is apparently an inconvenient fact that is often ignored in mainstream climate science. There have even been attempts to suggest that greening has slowed or reversed. Studies showing that the Earth is browning use sources that "should be used with caution," the authors of the new study advise.
The planet has been known to be greening since at least 1980, with some estimates pointing to an increase of up to 14%. In a detailed paper published in 2016 by 32 authors from eight countries, it was noted that there was a "sustained and widespread increase" in growing season greening across 25-50% of the global vegetated area. Now, the Chinese scientists, including the co-climatologist Professor Tiexi Chen, argue that "global greening is an indisputable fact".
Leaf Area Index (LAI) of the four main datasets.
Satellites allow scientists to calculate a leaf area index (LAI), and the four main datasets are plotted above. It was found that CO2 fertilization dominates the LAI trends, which are both increasing and accelerating. By monitoring different parts of the world, the authors found that the "drought trend" only slowed global greening, "but was far from browning." Climate alarmists, of course, observe droughts everywhere – that is, if they don't point to floods of biblical proportions.
https://www.climategate.nl/2024/02/wereldwijde-plantengroei-versnelt-dankzij-hogere-kooldioxideniveaus-blijkt-uit-nieuw-onderzoek/
