Earth Greening Doesn't Disprove Climate Change
The Claim
NASA data shows that the Earth has become significantly greener over the last few decades, meaning that climate change is beneficial for the planet or isn't real.
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Emerging story
For many years, NASA has been collecting data about carbon dioxide’s impact upon the Earth. Numerous reports have shown that carbon dioxide is leading to a “greening” of the Earth, meaning that plant life is increasing.
Climate change deniers claim that this is evidence that, if anything, global warming is a good thing for the Earth.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation shows that while NASA data on the increase of plant life on Earth is real, this does not mean that global warming is beneficial to the planet or humanity overall.
For instance, in 2016, NASA stated that, “While rising carbon dioxide concentrations in the air can be beneficial for plants, it is also the chief culprit of climate change. [...] The impacts of climate change include global warming, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and sea ice as well as more severe weather events.”
Our analysis shows that NASA also states that the benefit of increased carbon dioxide on plants may only be a short term event. For instance, NASA quotes Dr. Philippe Ciais, an associate director of the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences, who states that the fertilization effect of increasing carbon dioxide will diminish in the future.
Since the greening of the Earth reports are real, but the long-term effects of climate change are still to be seen, we rate this claim as misleading.
