text: With respect to the first of these findings, Laurance et al . conclude that "the increasing forest dynamics, growth and basal area observed are broadly consistent with the CO 2 fertilization hypothesis," while with respect to the second finding they say that "tree mortality peaked, and tree recruitment and growth declined during atypically wet periods," and that "tree growth was fastest during dry periods, when reduced cloudiness might have increased available solar radiation." Consequently, it would appear that the historical increase in the atmosphere's CO 2 concentration, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, has been good for the Amazon's trees, and (very likely) for the rest of the region's plants and animals, even in the face of the local warming of 0.26C per decade that they report for the region since the mid-1970s. References