Integrating the evidence for a terrestrial carbon sink caused by increasing atmospheric CO2

What is it about?

Fossil-fuel burning and deforestation release carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Higher CO2 in the atmosphere causes plants to photosynthesise and grow more quickly, which removes CO2 from the atmosphere. This negative feedback loop can slow the pace of climate change but nutrients, tree mortality, and other factors may limit the strength of this feedback. In this study we integrate a broad range of existing data to evaluate this feedback loop, finding that the feedback is likely substantial but also that increasing CO2 is probably not the only cause.

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