Climate Change Insight: more carbon dioxide = more plants

Savannah vegetation

One of the many contradictions in climate science is understanding the impact of higher levels of carbon dioxide CO2 in the atmosphere on plant growth. The central thesis contends that increased levels of CO2, warmer temperatures and the creation of wetter climes in some areas of the globe should produce higher levels of vegetation through the stimulation of photosynthesis. One of the tests for this theory has been undertaken by Australia's CSIRO which has been monitoring the edges of many arid areas in Australia, Southern Africa, the Southwest of the United States, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. The results of the monitoring process has found that the amounts of vegetation per unit of rainfall actually rose by 11 per cent rather than remaining constant. In short, the increase in vegetation occured where the only input which had altered was the corresponding increase in CO2 levels. 

This increase does not apply to all the dry regions of the world and in many cases, there will be no change at all due to the scarcity of water which will become more extreme in arid mid latitude geographical locations.The long term effects of increased vegetation in terms of potentially locking down CO2 emissions are unknown although current atmospheric greenhouse gas increases are considered to be too high to be matched by plant growth.