CO2-induced greening may reduce land surface temperatures by -0.7°C over the next 80 years.

Earlier this year we highlighted a new study indicating the rising greening trends in the last four decades can be attributed to the change in precipitation patterns and “the physiological impact of rising CO2.”

Greening-induced increases in evapotranspiration lead, in turn, to an increase in the global cloud cover. Increases in cloud cover reduce incoming solar radiation. A decline in incoming solar radiation cools the surface.

So rising CO2 concentrations ultimately contribute to global-scale greening, and, consequently, to a surface cooling that offsets warming projections.

Image Source: Wu et al., 2022

Another new study indicates the “greening-triggered energy imbalance…causes sizable time-lagged climate effects.”

From 1982-2014 Northern Hemisphere greening led to warmer winters (2 months of the year), but land surface cooling for the other 10 months. The overall greening-induced cooling reduced Northern Hemisphere temperatures by -0.14°C during this period, as the summer (June-August) cooling amounted to a “strong and significant” -0.044°C per decade.

Image Source: Lian et al., 2022

Alkama et al. (2022) report that the “emerging greening signal has been detected by satellites in the last three and a half decades and attributed to the increase in atmospheric CO2.” They quantify the estimates for CO2-induced greening/cooling by 2100 at -0.71°C.

Probably because it doesn’t advance the anti-fossil fuel energy agenda, Alkama and colleagues point out that the cooling effects of CO2-induced global greening “are largely ignored in climate treaties”.

Image Source: Alkama et al., 2022

Other recent studies support the conclusion that rising CO2 greens the Earth and “Earth greening cools land surface temperatures.” It’s as if there’s a consensus.

Image Source: Chen et al., 2020

Image Source: Piao et al., 2020

via NoTricksZone

By Kenneth Richard on 28. July 2022

More New Studies Affirm Rising CO2 Leads To Land Surface Cooling By Driving Earth’s Greening Trends