Recent findings by NASA published in the journal Nature Sustainability reveals the world is now greener than it was 20 years ago. They compared satellite data from the mid-1990s to today using high-resolution imagery. Initially they were unsure what caused the significant uptick in greening around the planet. It was unclear whether a warming planet, increased carbon dioxide (CO2) or a wetter climate could have caused more plants to grow.
Further investigation of the satellite imagery shows the greening was disproportionately located in China and India. Also, higher latitude regions should become green faster than lower latitudes as permafrost melts and areas like northern Russia become more habitable. Both of the most populous countries in the world have implemented ambitious tree planting programs and scaled up their implementation and technology around agriculture. The two are responsible for the largest greening of the planet in the past two decades. A map, NASA reveals shows the relative greening and browning around the globe. China and India have significant increase in vegetation.
They used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to get a detailed picture of Earth's global vegetation through time. The technique provided up to 500 meter resolution for the past two decades.
