Scientists have found that the planet will become greener much faster in the 21st century than previously thought. According to a new study, the area of leaves on land will increase at a high rate until the end of the century.
This will have a significant impact on the climate and water balance of the Earth.
The idea that anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions will lead to massive greening of the planet was put forward by Soviet climatologist Mikhail Budyko. However, his forecast was criticized for a long time. By the beginning of the 21st century, satellite images confirmed an increase in the area of leaves, but some scientists assumed that this was a temporary phenomenon. However, in the 2020s, it became clear that the rate of greening is not slowing down.
The authors of the new study used the leaf area index and CMIP6 climate models to determine how actively this process will continue. Even in the most conservative scenario, the increase will be at least 0.01 square meters of leaves per square meter of land over 10 years. In other models, the figures were two to four times higher.
