2024 witnessed record-high global vegetation greenness, far outpacing the previous high set in 2020. A total of 67.7% of vegetated land surfaces experienced greening, notably in Eurasian and tropical grasslands, and global croplands.
Key points
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Record positive anomalies in 2024 amplified the global greening trend from 7.7 × 10–4 yr–1 over 2000–2023 to 8.1× 10–4 yr–1 over 2000–2024; although the trend continues to be positive, interannual variability remains important in shaping the magnitude of these trends.
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Greening signals spanned two thirds of vegetated lands, dominated in space by grasslands, shrublands and savanna, but with most pronounced changes in grasslands and croplands. Hotspots include Eurasian and tropical grasslands, central North America, Europe and Australia, linked to increased precipitation and effective human management.
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Although greening signals dominate, approximately one third of vegetated land surfaces exhibited browning, largely driven by hot–dry conditions. The most pronounced browning anomalies were observed in southern Africa, Ukraine, the Congo rainforest, and parts of the Amazon.
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Acknowledgements
This article was supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research (STEP) program (2024QZKK0301), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41988101), and the Postdoctoral Innovation Talents Support Program of China (BX20240019).
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Gui, Y., Wang, K., Huntingford, C. et al. Vegetation greenness in 2024. Nat Rev Earth Environ 6, 255–257 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-025-00656-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-025-00656-z
