Greening Trend Research Articles

Significant greening in the western Tibetan Plateau and surroundings occurred after the 1970s

Vegetation greening on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has profoundly changed the connection between terrestrial ecosystems and regional carbon, water, and energy cycling, but existing research on vegetation greenness can only be traced back to the 1980s, because of the scarcity of long-term remote sensing data. Here we present an ice-core record of pollen accumulation rates with a 3-year resolution during 1935–2012 AD for the western TP. Based on backward trajectory and wind data, we identified the pollen source region and transport mechanisms. We found that the 3-year total pollen accumulation rate (TPAR3a) is a good indicator of vegetation coverage of the source region, and our data showed that the greening of the western TP and surroundings began as early as 1935 AD, mostly due to regional warming and moistening. The greening trend became more significant after the 1970s, which is mostly related to the significant increase in temperature.

Long-term trends in urban vegetation greenness and its causal relationship with built-up land expansion: A case study of the Yangtze River Delta, China

Long-term trends in urban vegetation greenness and its causal relationship with built-up land expansion: A case study of the Yangtze River Delta, China

Impacts of 2D/3D building morphology on vegetation greening trends in Hong Kong: An urban-rural contrast perspective

Building morphology profoundly impacts the microclimate, potentially affecting vegetation greening. However, the effects of 2D/3D building morphology on vegetation greening, especially the urban-rural disparities, remains understudied. In this study, we examined the effect of building morphology on vegetation greening in urban and rural areas in Hong Kong by employing a machine learning model. Vegetation greening trends were derived using the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) through the Theil-Sen median method and the Mann-Kendall (MK) test. Results indicated a prevalent greening from 2010 to 2020, with a slope of 0.0024, and more significant in rural. Statistically significant but low correlation existed between building morphology and vegetation greening. Their relationship exhibited notable urban-rural differences and non-monotonic nonlinearity, with 3D indexes showing a stronger impact than 2D indexes. Specifically, sky view factor (SVF) dominated in urban areas, contributing 23.60%, while landscape shape index (LSI) was the key contributor in rural, accounting for 27.30%. SVF, and mean building height (MBH) transitioned from negative to positive effects, whereas landscape patch index (LPI) and edge density (ED) shifted from positive to negative effects, each with distinct "turning points" in urban and rural. LSI’s impact showed a negative-positive-negative shift in urban and a negative-positive shift in rural. Building volume density (BVD) presented a positive to negative shift in urban and negative to positive shift in rural. The identified complicated relationship deepens our understanding of the drivers of vegetation greening in the built environment, informing the optimal building morphology threshold for efficient greening effect toward sustainable development.

Ecosystem water use efficiency and carbon use efficiency respond oppositely to vegetation greening in China's Loess Plateau.

Ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE) and carbon use efficiency (CUE) are critical parameters to determine the trade-off between water consumption and carbon sequestration in drylands. However, the roles of vegetation cover, climate factors and soil moisture in affecting the coupling of WUE and CUE were still poorly understood. This study combined the spatial random forest model and structural equation model to detect the drivers of WUE and CUE variations in China's Loess Plateau during 2001-2020, a typical water-limited region with about 87% of area experiencing significant vegetation greening. The WUE increased significantly (P<0.05) in 92.7% of the greening area (0.024±0.020 gC kg-1H2O yr-1), and CUE decreased (-0.0011±0.0011yr-1) and increased (0.0010±0.0012yr-1) slightly in half and half of the greening area. The vegetation greening trend was a dominant factor positively influencing the variation of WUE (with 42.0% explanation), whereas CUE exhibited a negative response to the greening trend (with 25.0% explanation). However, the regions with dense vegetation cover (NDVI >0.5) were unfavourable for the increase of WUE but favourable for the increase of CUE. Vegetation greening exerted effect on WUE mainly via the path of gross primary productivity and ratio of transpiration to evapotranspiration (path coefficient: 0.83), whereas it had direct effect on CUE (path coefficient: 0.48). An increase in VPD facilitated the enhancement of both WUE and CUE. There was an optimal annual precipitation range (400-600mm) that maximized WUE enhancement, and annual temperature (∼10°C) optimized CUE increase. The findings indicate that despite the improvement in WUE, the vegetation greening may not necessarily enhance carbon sequestration potential in drylands. This study enhances the knowledge of the interaction between vegetation dynamics and water‑carbon coupling in drylands, contributing to ecological restoration practices and sustainable ecosystem management.

Global urban greening and its implication for urban heat mitigation

Urban vegetation provides essential ecosystem services and benefits to support biodiversity and human well-being in urban areas. However, the dynamic trends, driving factors, and their implications to urban heat mitigation at the global scale remain largely unclear. Here, we used a high-resolution enhanced vegetation index (EVI) dataset to examine the vegetation dynamics in 11,235 urban areas worldwide, identify the driving factors behind its changes, and estimate the potential urban heat mitigation benefits of these changes. We found that 40.75% urban areas (1.51 Mha) evidenced a greening trend (showing increasing EVI), in contrast to 49.60% urban areas showing browning (decreasing EVI). Notably, urban centers in both developed and developing countries contribute to this greening trend. We, nevertheless, found significant spatial disparities in this greening trend, with cities in the Global North showing higher greening ratios than those in the Global South. The driving factors of urban vegetation change trend lead to significant differentiation in and around urban areas. The rapid increase in urbanization intensity and the negative effects of nitrogen deposition are the dominant factors leading to vegetation browning in urban peripheries. However, nitrogen deposition and urbanization intensity have shown positive effects on vegetation greening within urban centers. Crucially, compared to areas with vegetation browning or no significant change, vegetation greening areas have a more significant cooling effect, potentially mitigating the urban heat island effect, especially during summer daytime. Our findings highlight the importance of enhancing urban vegetation greening to promote equitable urban development and ensure effective climate change mitigation.

The Level of Green Development in China and Influencing Factors—A Case Study of the Huai River Ecological Economic Belt

ABSTRACTEnvironmental issues are significant challenges for China's growth, with green development being crucial. The Huai He River Ecological and Economic Belt (EEB), a vital north–south economic corridor, plays a key role in demonstrating ecological civilization and regional coordinated development, essential for China's eco‐progress. This study uses the super‐SBM‐DEA model to measure the green development efficiency (GDE) of the EEB from 2005 to 2020, introducing innovative input–output indicators like technological innovation, industrial, environmental, and social gains. It analyzes the GDE from multiple angles using the Malmquist index, Moran index, and Durbin model, examining the temporal and spatial evolution and influencing factors of the EEB. Four key findings emerge: (1) The EEB's green development level trends upward, with western urban areas showing superior sustainable growth and environmental efficiency compared with the east. (2) Technological progress is the primary driver for improving the green level in the EEB. (3) The spatial agglomeration of green development levels is increasing. (4) Technological innovation significantly influences the EEB's GDE, while the digital economy level and environmental regulation promote it. Conversely, a single energy structure, urbanization, and foreign investment negatively impact the GDE, whereas economic growth and industrial structure enhancement positively affect the region's GDE but may adversely affect neighboring areas. The study recommends strategies to advance the premium quality evolution of the EEB, tailored to its regional characteristics.

Landscape diversity promotes landscape functioning in North America

Biodiversity–ecosystem functioning experiments have established generally positive species richness-productivity relationships in plots of single ecosystem types, typically grassland or forest. However, it remains unclear whether these findings apply in real-world landscapes that resemble a heterogeneous mosaic of different ecosystem and plant types that interact through biotic and abiotic processes. Here, we show that landscape-level diversity, measured as number of land-cover types (different ecosystems) per 250×250 m, is positively related to landscape-wide remotely-sensed primary production across all of North America, covering 16 of 18 ecoregions of Earth. At higher landscape diversity, productivity was temporally more stable, and 20-year greening trends were accelerated. These effects occurred independent of local species diversity, suggesting emergent mechanisms at hitherto neglected levels of biological organization. Specifically, mechanisms related to interactions among land-cover types unfold at the scale of entire landscapes, similar to, but not necessarily resulting from, interactions between species within single ecosystems.

Greening of Svalbard in the twentieth century driven by sea ice loss and glaciers retreat

The greening of previously barren landscapes in the Arctic is one of the most relevant responses of terrestrial ecosystem to climate change. Analyses of satellite data (available since ~1980) have revealed a widespread tundra advance consistent with recent global warming, but the length is insufficient to resolve the long-term variability and the precise timing of the greening onset. Here, we measured plant-derived biomarkers from an Arctic fjord sediment core as proxies for reconstructing past changes in tundra vegetation during the transition from the Little Ice Age to modern warming. Our findings revealed a rapid expansion of the tundra since the beginning of the twentieth century, largely coinciding with the decline of summer sea ice extent and glacier retreat. The greening trend inferred from biomarker analysis peaked significantly in the late 1990s, along with a shift in the tundra community towards a more mature successional stage. Most of these signals were consistent with the biomolecular fingerprints of vascular plant species that are more adapted to warmer conditions and have widely expanded in proglacial areas during recent decades. Our results suggest that the greening of Arctic fjords may have occurred earlier than previously thought, improving our mechanistic understanding of vegetation-climate-cryosphere interactions that will shape tundra vegetation under future warming projections.

A unifying principle for global greenness patterns and trends

Vegetation cover regulates the exchanges of energy, water and carbon between land and atmosphere. Remotely-sensed fractional absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fAPAR), a land-surface greenness measure, depends on carbon allocation to foliage while also controlling photon flux for photosynthesis. Here we use an equation with just two globally fitted parameters to describe annual maximum fAPAR as the smaller of a water-limited value transpiring a constant fraction of annual precipitation, and an energy-limited value maximizing annual plant growth. This minimalist description reproduces global greenness patterns and temporal trends in remote-sensing data, comparable to the best-performing dynamic global vegetation models. Widely observed greening is attributed principally to the influence of rising carbon dioxide on the light- and water-use efficiencies of photosynthesis; limited browning regions are attributed to drying. This research provides one key component of ecosystem function as a step towards more robust foundations for new-generation land ecosystem models.

Heterogeneous long-term changes in larch forest and shrubland cover in the Kolyma lowland are not captured by coarser-scale greening trends

Heterogeneous long-term changes in larch forest and shrubland cover in the Kolyma lowland are not captured by coarser-scale greening trends

Greenness and averted mortality in 390 cities in China (2000-2020).

China's growth over recent decades rapidly transformed the urban landscapes. Green spaces provide numerous health benefits including acting as nature-based solutions for climate change risks. Our study aims to track greenness trends in urban areas in China and quantify the health impact of greenness on adult mortality. In China, we mapped the urban human population distribution aged 20 and above with a 1km grid (30 arc-second) and used satellite-based remote sensing to measure green space over time to create population-weighted normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). We tracked changes in greenness in the urban area over time and created a spatial-temporal map. Based on counterfactual scenarios, we calculated averted deaths attributed to NDVI changes from 2000 to2020. We analyzed and mapped 390 cities or urban areas in China, covering an urban population of nearly 500 million. We found population-weighted NDVI exhibiting an overall increase from 2000 to 2020 for most cities. Our analysis calculated urban areas that experienced decrease in urban NDVI from 2000 to 2010 could have had an estimated 9951 additional deaths annually (95% CI: 3346-18,106), while increase in NDVI from 2010 to 2020 could have averted an estimated 37,653 deaths annually (95% CI: 26,327-60,135). If the NDVI were increased to the target level in 2000 and 2010, the number of deaths would be reduced by 110,976 (95% CI: 82,010-171,561) and 118,330 (95% CI: 87,362-183,283), respectively. Greenness has increased in most urban in China since 2000. Considering the ongoing impacts of climate change and urbanization, sustained efforts in greenness management could serve as an effective resilience factor for protecting population health. Natural Science Foundation of Beijing (IS23105), National Natural Science Foundation of China (82250610230, 72061137004), World Health Organization (2024/1463606-0), Research Fund Vanke School of Public HealthTsinghua University (2024JC002).

Mapping Green Accounting Research Trends in Indonesia : A Systematic Literatur Review Perspective from 2017 to 2024

Research Objective: This study examines the contribution of research to the development of green accounting, both theoretically and practically, and offers recommendations for future research based on a literature mapping. The literature review method was used, employing Harzing’s Publish or Perish (Window GUI Edition 8) application with Google Scholar as the source, using the keyword "green accounting." The data collected comprises 18 articles from open journal systems, 3 of which are nationally accredited at Sinta 4. Research Findings: This study shows that implementing green accounting can improve financial performance and investor appeal, demonstrating mutually beneficial economic and social benefits. The integration of religious values and local culture strengthens the implementation of green accounting, creating strong social and moral support. Environmental education plays a crucial role in promoting future awareness and practice of green accounting. Green accounting can enhance profitability and operational efficiency, proving that sustainability and economic gain can coexist. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a moderating factor can strengthen the effects of green accounting on company value and sustainability. Transparency and accountability in environmental reporting improve corporate reputation and meet stakeholder expectations. Conclusion: There was a peak in green accounting research in 2017, followed by a decline in research on this theme by 2023.

Exploration of the Spatiotemporal Characteristics and Driving Mechanisms of Vegetation Greenness Changes in Laos

In the context of climate change, vegetation changes in Laos have attracted widespread attention, especially the profound impact of its greenness changes on ecosystems, water cycles, and climate feedback. However, our understanding of the driving factors of vegetation greenness changes in different latitudes is still limited. This study utilized EVI and climate factor data from 2001 to 2023, employing trend analysis, correlation analysis, and machine learning methods to investigate the spatiotemporal patterns of vegetation greenness changes across Laos and their responses to climate factors. Results revealed an overall increasing trend in vegetation greenness, with 75% of the area exhibiting annual increases, primarily in northern, central, and parts of the southern regions. Conversely, 24.8% of the area experienced declines, concentrated near Vientiane and certain southern regions. Seasonal trends during the wet season largely aligned with annual patterns, although reduced rainfall negatively impacted some areas. The dry season exhibited the most pronounced changes, with 70% of the area showing increased greenness, especially in northern and central regions, despite localized rainfall constraints. Minimum temperature (TMMN) emerged as the most influential factor, with importance values of 0.42 for annual changes and 0.37 for dry season changes, while precipitation impacts varied across space and time. High temperatures affected vegetation more significantly in low-latitude regions, whereas high-latitude areas relied on changes in DSR. This significant finding underscores the differential impact of climate factors on vegetation greenness across latitudes, which is crucial for understanding the complex dynamics of tropical inland ecosystems under climate change and for developing targeted conservation and adaptation strategies.

Vegetation Changes in the Arctic: A Review of Earth Observation Applications

The Arctic, characterised by severe climatic conditions and sparse vegetation, is experiencing rapid warming, with temperatures increasing by up to four times the global rate since 1979. Extensive impacts from these changes have far-reaching consequences for the global climate and energy balance. Satellite remote sensing is a valuable tool for monitoring Arctic vegetation dynamics, particularly in regions with limited ground observations. To investigate the ongoing impact of climate change on Arctic and sub-Arctic vegetation dynamics, a review of 162 studies published between 2000 and November 2024 was conducted. This review analyses the research objectives, spatial distribution of study areas, methods, and the temporal and spatial resolution of utilised satellite data. The key findings reveal circumpolar tendencies, including Arctic greening, lichen decline, shrub increase, and positive primary productivity trends. These changes impact the carbon balance in the tundra and affect specialised fauna and local communities. A large majority of studies conducted their analysis based on multispectral data, primarily using AVHRR, MODIS, and Landsat sensors. Although the warming of the Arctic is linked to greening trends, increased productivity, and shrub expansion, the diverse and localised ecological shifts are influenced by a multitude of complex factors. Furthermore, these changes can be challenging to observe due to difficult cloud cover and illumination conditions when acquiring optical satellite data. Additionally, the difficulty in validating these changes is compounded by the scarcity of in situ data. The fusion of satellite data with different spatial–temporal characteristics and sensor types, combined with methodological advancements, may help mitigate data gaps. This may be particularly crucial when assessing the Arctic’s potential role as a future carbon source or sink.

Revegetation Impacts on Moisture Recycling and Precipitation Trends in the Chinese Loess Plateau

AbstractThe Loess Plateau in China has experienced a remarkable greening trend due to vegetation restoration efforts in recent decades. However, the response of precipitation to this greening remains uncertain. In this study, we identified and evaluated the main moisture source regions for precipitation over the Loess Plateau from 1982 to 2019 using a moisture tracking model, the modified WAM‐2layers model, and the conceptual framework of the precipitationshed. By integrating multiple linear regression analysis with a conceptual hydrologically weighting method, we quantified the effective influence of different environmental factors for precipitation, particularly the effect of vegetation. Our analysis revealed that local precipitation has increased on average by 0.16 mm yr−1 and evaporation by 5.17 mm yr−1 over the period 2000–2019 after the initiation of the vegetation restoration project. Regional greening including the Loess Plateau contributed to precipitation for about 0.83 mm yr−1, among which local greening contributed for about 0.07 mm yr−1. Local vegetation contribution is due to both an enhanced local evaporation as well as an increased local moisture recycling (6.9% in 1982–1999; 8.3% in 2000–2019). Thus, our study shows that local revegetation had a positive effect on local precipitation, and the primary cause of the observed increase in precipitation over the Loess Plateau is due to a combination of local greening and circulation change. Our study underscores that increasing vegetation over the Loess Plateau has exerted strong influence on local precipitation and supports the positive effects for current and future vegetation restoration plans toward more resilient water resources managements.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Green Investment Trends and Developments

A Bibliometric Analysis of Green Investment Trends and Developments

Divergent Ecological Restoration Driven by Afforestation Along the North and South Banks of the Yarlung Zangbo Middle Reach

ABSTRACTOver the past four decades, continuous afforestation in the river valley of the Yarlung Zangbo Middle Reach has effectively migrated the land degradation and enhanced the local eco‐environment. Different orientations of north and south banks (i.e., sun‐facing and shade‐facing) generate microclimates, but the diverse growth patterns of the planted forests along different banks remain unknown. In this study, long‐term Landsat observations were introduced to investigate the microclimatic effects on the growth patterns of planted forests and their subsequent effects on the land restoration during 1988–2020. Results showed that the south bank experienced a higher afforestation‐induced greening trend than the north bank, as indicated by normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) rates of 0.0117 and 0.0081 year−1, respectively. The growth of planted forests on the north bank was more sensitive to the distance from riverway than that on the south bank, with the NDVI gradients of −0.0708 and −0.0540 km−1, highlighting a server drought stress on the north bank. Benefited from the continuous afforestation, 79% and 95% of sandy lands on the north and south banks had been restored by 2020. In summary, the microclimatic difference between banks, attributed to different solar illuminations and drought stresses, induce the diverse ecological restoration conditions. These findings offer important insights that future afforestation strategies should consider the microclimatic effect to maximize ecological benefits.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Green Skills Research in Vocational Education: 2018-2022

Green skills (GSs) have become one of the important strategies for achieving sustainable development. It can make the environment effective for social and economic development. The aim of this research is to reveal data on the evolution and development of green skills and trends in the development of green jobs throughout the world. This research uses R Studio and Bibliometrix to analyze 198 papers related to green skills in green jobs published from 2018 to 2022 in the Scopus database using Bibliometrix and visualization mapping methods. The results show a substantial increase in the number of studies GSs in recent years, with the focus area in European and American countries leading this research. Aspects of Will, manufacturing and Energy, and Journals of Green Environmental Management are the first three journals cited in the study of GSs. Studying the cited literature together on environmentally friendly skills includes, among other things, the relationship between other skills and ecosystems with human good health, green construction, evaluation and green management of environmentally friendly competencies, and analysis of specific aspects of environmentally friendly skills. The results of the analysis of green skills grouping keywords show that there is research that concentrates on green skills in the fields of education, ecosystem services, climate change, and biodiversity protection. In conclusion, this research provides a reference for future studies of green skills necessary for the development of a sustainable educational environment, such as a multidisciplinary approach, adaptation of new technologies, partnerships with sustainable technology green industries, and environmental awareness.

Repeat photography reveals long‐term climate change impacts on sub‐Antarctic tundra vegetation

AbstractQuestionsAt high latitudes, anthropogenic climate change and invasive species threaten biodiversity, often with interacting effects. Climate change not only impacts native plant species directly by driving distribution and abundance of species, but indirectly through the influence on community dynamics and habitat suitability to invasive species. A key obstacle to quantifying vegetation change in the sub‐Antarctic is the scarcity of cloud‐free satellite imagery in a region with near‐permanent cloud cover and lack of long‐term plot data. In this paper, we aim to address the following questions: how has vegetation in the sub‐Antarctic changed between 1965 and 2020? What are the roles of climate change and invasive species in driving these changes?LocationThe study was conducted on Marion Island in the sub‐Antarctica.MethodsWe quantified vegetation change by analysing repeat ground photography between 1965 and 2020, accompanied by an analysis of climate trends and invasive plant species’ cover changes over the same period.ResultsTotal vegetation cover was significantly higher in 2020 than in 1965 in all habitats other than in the coastal saltspray habitat, indicating an increase in overall biomass on the island. The more responsive ‘generalist’ plant species have expanded across the island, whilst the more ‘specialised’ plant species have not significantly changed in cover, with the exception of the mire graminoids, which have declined. Marion Island has thus undergone significant vegetation change, showing a greening trend across most habitats in the last five decades. This has been accompanied by aridification, an increase in mean air temperature, changes in wind direction and wind speed, and an increase in invasive mouse populations. The three most widespread invasive plant species have also expanded their ranges, especially in areas influenced by animal disturbance and nutrient input.ConclusionsIn congruence with research from Northern‐hemisphere tundra and other islands in the sub‐Antarctic, these results provide substantive empirical evidence for the interacting effects of climate change and invasive species on sub‐Antarctic tundra vegetation, as has long been predicted.

Spatial–Temporal Analysis of Greenness and Its Relationship with Poverty in China

Ecological environmental protection and poverty alleviation are of great significance for the study of human–land relationship coordination and sustainable development, and they have also been a focus of attention in China in the past few decades. In this study, we chose 13 contiguous poverty-stricken areas in China as the study area. Using MODIS Leaf Area Index (LAI) data from 2000 to 2020, the spatial–temporal changes in greenness were obtained using the Bayesian spatial–temporal model (BYM). Spatial autocorrelation was used to identify the spatial distribution of poverty using socio-economic statistical data. Driving factors, including natural factors, poverty factors, and the Grain for Green Policy (GTGP), and their influence on greenness were analyzed by using the Geodetector model for detecting spatial differentiation and factors’ interactions. The results showed the following: (1) In 13 contiguous poverty-stricken areas (CPSAs) in China, 59% of the area presented an increasing trend of greenness. (2) In 2000, the high poverty levels with larger MPI values were widely distributed. After 20 years, the overall MPI value was lower, except in some northwest regions with increased MPI values. The spatial autocorrelation of poverty, which relates to the mutual influence of poverty in adjacent areas, also decreased. (3) In the study area, 65.24% of the regions showed strong synergistic effect between greening progress and poverty reduction in the interaction between poverty status and green development. With the improvement of greenness level, the positive correlation between poverty alleviation and ecological environment improvement has become increasingly close. (4) The impacts of interaction factors with the highest q values changed from temperature interacting with precision to regional division interacting with the Grain for Green Policy. The conclusions are that from 2000 to 2020, the impact of natural factors, geographical division, and poverty status on greenness has shown a decreasing trend; The effect of the Grain for Green Policy is gradually increasing; At the same time, the interaction and overlapping effects between the Grain for Green Policy and poverty were increasing. Taking into account the needs of ecological environment, poverty alleviation, and rural revitalization, this research provides valuable reference for formulating and implementing relevant policies based on the actual situation in different regions to promote harmonious coexistence between human-land relationship.