A study published in Nature Sustainability (2019) highlights that China and India are leading in greening the world through land-use management. Satellite data show an increase in vegetation leaf area due to both direct (human land-use) and indirect factors (climate change, CO₂ fertilization, nitrogen deposition, etc.). Climate change and CO₂ fertilization are the dominant drivers, but recent data (2000–2017) show a striking greening pattern in China and India, overlapping with croplands worldwide. China alone accounts for 25% of the global net increase in leaf area with only 6.6% of global vegetated area. The greening in China comes from forests (42%) and croplands (32%), while in India, it is mostly from croplands (82%) with minor contributions from forests. China has implemented ambitious programs to conserve and expand forests, aiming to mitigate land degradation, air pollution, and climate change. Food production in China and India has increased by over 35% since 2000 due to increased harvested area through multiple cropping, fertilizer use, and irrigation. The study indicates that the direct factor is a key driver of the "Greening Earth," accounting for over a third of the observed net increase in green leaf area. It emphasizes the need for realistic representation of human land-use practices in Earth system models. The study also highlights the importance of human land-use management in greening the world, with China and India leading in this effort. The results show that human land-use is a dominant driver of greening, with cropland greening contributing the most to the net increase in leaf area globally since 2000. The study also notes that the greening in China and India is due to factors such as afforestation, forest conservation, and agricultural intensification. The study concludes that human land-use management is an important driver of the "Greening Earth," accounting for a third, and likely more, of the observed net increase in green leaf area. The study also highlights the importance of monitoring human land-use practices with space-borne data to realistically represent them in models. The study also notes that the gain in greenness in the Northern temperate and high latitudes does not offset the damage from loss of leaf area in tropical natural vegetation. The study provides evidence that human land-use is a dominant factor in changes in woody and herbaceous vegetation cover. The study also highlights the importance of afforestation, reforestation, and deforestation in global greening. The study concludes that human land-use management is a key driver of the "Greening Earth," and that the results have important implications for Earth system models and climate change mitigation.A study published in Nature Sustainability (2019) highlights that China and India are leading in greening the world through land-use management. Satellite data show an increase in vegetation leaf area due to both direct (human land-use) and indirect factors (climate change, CO₂ fertilization, nitrogen deposition, etc.). Climate change and CO₂ fertilization are the dominant drivers, but recent data (2000–2017) show a striking greening pattern in China and India, overlapping with croplands worldwide. China alone accounts for 25% of the global net increase in leaf area with only 6.6% of global vegetated area. The greening in China comes from forests (42%) and croplands (32%), while in India, it is mostly from croplands (82%) with minor contributions from forests. China has implemented ambitious programs to conserve and expand forests, aiming to mitigate land degradation, air pollution, and climate change. Food production in China and India has increased by over 35% since 2000 due to increased harvested area through multiple cropping, fertilizer use, and irrigation. The study indicates that the direct factor is a key driver of the "Greening Earth," accounting for over a third of the observed net increase in green leaf area. It emphasizes the need for realistic representation of human land-use practices in Earth system models. The study also highlights the importance of human land-use management in greening the world, with China and India leading in this effort. The results show that human land-use is a dominant driver of greening, with cropland greening contributing the most to the net increase in leaf area globally since 2000. The study also notes that the greening in China and India is due to factors such as afforestation, forest conservation, and agricultural intensification. The study concludes that human land-use management is an important driver of the "Greening Earth," accounting for a third, and likely more, of the observed net increase in green leaf area. The study also highlights the importance of monitoring human land-use practices with space-borne data to realistically represent them in models. The study also notes that the gain in greenness in the Northern temperate and high latitudes does not offset the damage from loss of leaf area in tropical natural vegetation. The study provides evidence that human land-use is a dominant factor in changes in woody and herbaceous vegetation cover. The study also highlights the importance of afforestation, reforestation, and deforestation in global greening. The study concludes that human land-use management is a key driver of the "Greening Earth," and that the results have important implications for Earth system models and climate change mitigation.