The Earth is Getting Greener

Submitted by: The Two Sides Team April 24, 2015

Australian scientists have analysed 20 years of satellite data and found that the world's trees and plants now store four billion more tonnes of carbon than they did in 2003.

The report found despite vast amounts of deforestation, making way for agricultural land, the earth is still getting greener. There are a combination of factors contributing to this growth, such as China's huge planting programme; increased rainfall in Australia, Africa and South America; forest growth in large areas of abandoned former soviet farming lands and increased carbon in the atmosphere improving growing conditions for plants.

Although they may be new forests growing around the world, it does not make the abundance of forest clearances in the Amazon and South East Asia any less damaging. The new plant cover may be storing more of the earth's carbon, but it does not have the diverse species or quality which the ancient forests have nurtured for millennia.

The report found new forest growth is only half of forest loss.

You can read more on this story at the Daily Mail

Share this story