BEIJING: A new Chinese study adds to the evidence that climate change is boosting the health and growth of plants in some regions.

Scientists at the Beijing Normal University studied the link between climate factors and changes in plants' net primary productivity — a term used to evaluate the net reserve energy plants need during growth — between 1982 and 1999 in China.

"If the net primary productivity of a plant is high, it means the plant grows more healthily," says lead author Zhu Wenquan of the university's College of Resources.