NASA Confirms Earth Is Greener Today Than 20 Years Ago

March 1, 2019

The world is a greener place than it was 20 years ago, and China and India can take a majority of the credit.

world is a greener place
India breaks world record planting 50 million trees in 24 hours

A new study from NASA shows that the two countries with the world's biggest populations are leading the increase in greening on land. The effect stems mainly from ambitious tree planting programs in China and intensive agriculture in both countries.

This new insight was made possible by a 20-year-long data record from a NASA instrument (MODIS) orbiting the Earth on two satellites.

There are now more than two million square miles of extra green leaf area per year, compared to the early 2000s – a 5% increase.

NASA data green planet
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

"China and India account for one-third of the greening, but contain only 9% of the planet's land area covered in vegetation – a surprising finding, considering the general notion of land degradation in populous countries from overexploitation," said Chi Chen of the Department of Earth and Environment at Boston University, in Massachusetts, and lead author of the study.

"When the greening of the Earth was first observed, we thought it was due to a warmer, wetter climate and fertilization from the added carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, leading to more leaf growth in northern forests, for instance," said Rama Nemani, a research scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, and a co-author of the study. "Now, with the MODIS data that lets us understand the phenomenon at really small scales, we see that humans are also contributing."


Click Here For The Most Popular On Sunny Skyz

feel good videoThese Cat Reactions To Owners Calling Them Through Security Cameras Are Absolutely Hilarious

feel good storiesTaylor Swift’s High School Ex Had The Funniest Take On Her Engagement News

feel good storiesAnniversary Gift Goes Hilariously Wrong — Or Maybe Perfectly Right

feel good storiesKentucky Nurse Saves Drunk Raccoon With CPR After Dumpster Mishap

feel good storiesFirefighters And Public Works Team Crawl Quarter Mile To Rescue Blind And Deaf Dog

feel good storiesShoulder Labrum Tear Symptoms And The Causes Behind Them

feel good videoThese Cat Reactions To Owners Calling Them Through Security Cameras Are Absolutely Hilarious

feel good videoThey Noticed A Stray Dog Staring At A Toy In The Claw Machine, So They Won It For Her

feel good videoKind Man Rescues Puppies, And The Mom’s Reaction Says It All

feel good videoAndrea Bocelli Joins Queen Legend Brian May For Unforgettable Duet

feel good videoLittle Boy Surprises His Favorite Home Depot Employee With Flowers On Her Birthday

Chris Filippou 12:17 PM (3 minutes ago) to me