The earth is becoming greener largely through the activities of China and India, the world’s most populous countries more usually known for their serious pollution levels.
Nasa scientists recorded a 5 per cent increase in the planet’s green leaf area since the early 2000s – the equivalent of an extra Amazon rainforest – and were surprised by the cause.
The Nasa study, which was published on February 11 in the journal Nature Sustainability, found some 2 million square miles (about 518 million hectares) of vegetation had been added to the surface of the earth, a quarter of which was contributed by China.
The study found that most of China’s contribution was achieved through its initiatives to conserve and expand forests, while more than 80 per cent of India’s increase was due to intensive agriculture.
“When the greening of the Earth was first observed, we thought it was due to a warmer, wetter climate and fertilisation as a result of the added carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” Rama Nemani, a co-author of the study, said.
“Now, with the medium-resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS) data, we see that humans are also contributing.
