By Derimot*no-Daily Sceptic-Chris Morrison - June 28, 2025

Recent scientific research shows that trees around the world are growing taller due to higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. A little extra of the life-giving gas, nature’s abundant plant food, has led to bigger trees and more leaf growth in recent decades.

The recent small rise in CO2 has led to an astonishing increase of over 15% in total global vegetation growth over the past 40 years. Plants and trees have evolved to thrive in levels of atmospheric CO2 about three times higher than today’s level of 420 parts per million (ppm), and scientific evidence clearly shows that rising levels lead to faster growth of flora, which is both healthier and more drought-resistant.

Fascinating results from a controlled experiment called Free Air Carbon Enrichment (FACE) that has been running since 2017 by the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research. This involved increasing CO2 levels to 550 ppm in areas of a 180-year-old oak forest in Staffordshire, England. Compared to areas without the CO2 boost, oak trees fed the extra CO2 were found to grow an astonishing 10% faster over the period 2017–2023.

FACE experiments are not new, and have been used to assess CO2 growth rates in trees in a number of locations. A long-term project in the Duke Pine Forest in Orange County, North Carolina, found higher annual growth of 27% when trees were given an additional 200 ppm dose of CO2. In this case, photosynthesis in foliage increased by up to 50%, while the actual size of the trees increased by between 13–27%.

A recent paper published by a group of researchers from Ohio State University found that over the past 50 years in 10 forest groups, all types of trees except aspen and birch have increased their volume per hectare. A 20–30% increase in biomass between 1970 and 2015, compared to trees from 30 years earlier.

If being afraid of CO2 in the air is your political thing, this news should be very welcome. The strong and natural increase in green space on the planet is usually not mentioned in the mainstream media. Carbon dioxide is seen as a "pollution". (Also by the Conservative political party, editor's note.)

At least regular readers of the Daily Skeptic (and Derimot, ed. note) are not unaware of the staggering amounts of vegetation growth and desertification in many parts of the world, which are happening because of more CO2 in the atmosphere. Recently, two researchers in Spain found a huge increase in the growth of global green space. A significant portion of the Earth's land area has shown a measurable increase in vegetation over the past four decades.

Meanwhile, crop yields have increased sharply over the past 60 years, helped by hydrocarbon-produced fertilizers and increased CO2, while deserts are shrinking in places like the Sahara. While children in the Western world are sent crying to bed brainwashed with climate scares, many children in less developed parts of the world have been getting a little more food in their stomachs. – Thanks to better plant growth!

Chris Morrison is the Daily Skeptic's editor for environment and climate issues.

From the Daily Sceptic, published June 25, 2025.
Translated by Northern Light from English and abridged. Links in the original article. Original article: Trees Get Bigger Around the World Thanks to Higher CO2 Levels

The text represents the author's opinion, not necessarily that of www.derimot.no.