Why has the area of green trees increased and is the science sad?
Many people are very afraid that the area of greenery on Earth is shrinking rapidly. What if one day the blue planet is no longer blue? What will the lives of over 7 billion people be like?
However, recently, a group of experts from the University of Maryland (USA) found a rather surprising result. They collect and analyze data from satellite images, track changes in the cover density of upper vegetation (such as trees), lower vegetation and barren land.
As a result, the density of greenery on Earth increases.
Specifically, during the 35 years from 1982 to 2016, the density of green trees on Earth increased significantly, higher than before by an area of 2.24 million square kilometers – about three times the size of the State of Texas (United States).
Are the trees more covered?
But don’t be too happy? Although the green area has been enlarged, hiding it behind is an extremely sad fact!
Because the more trees there are covered, the more trees in the rainforest are reduced. To make it easier to understand, the total green area on Earth may increase, but the loss of vegetation in tropical forests is a loss that is difficult to compensate for.
Professor Matt Hansen, author of the study, said: “It is important to understand that the increase in plant area is real, but it does not belong to the rainforest. The ants over 158,000 square kilometers of tropical trees have completely disappeared on the green planet. ”
The reason for shrinking tropical forests is mainly because deforestation is still very ‘exploitable’. It is these destructive actions that have increased the amount of CO2 to an alarming level, causing the Earth’s temperature to rise.
As the temperature rose, more and more plants began to appear in the mountainous regions – this is why the area of greenery increased.
“Human actions on the natural landscape are manifested across continents. For example, expand the area of agricultural land or increase the area of forest land, improve forest land for urban construction. Commercialization … For the sole purpose of maintaining ecosystem services for the benefit of people ”- said Professor Hansen.
I believe that if the green planet exists, we humans will have the opportunity to feel the benefits. So remember, even the smallest of our actions can affect the earth’s environment!
