Can higher CO2 levels boost plant life enough to dent global warming?

Increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere may be boosting vegetation for now, but climate change is set to more than wipe out any gains, says James Wong

By James Wong

Igor Stevanovic/Alamy

IN A world of increasing uncertainty, good news has a particular allure. So it is unsurprising that studies finding that rising carbon dioxide emissions are boosting plant life have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Some people even go as far as to use this so-called CO₂ fertilisation effect as evidence that an uptick in plants could mitigate the effects of climate change. Is there any truth to it?

Firstly, the studies these claims are based on are far from “fake news”. They are well-designed and often reflect a long-established scientific consensus. As CO …