Global analysis suggests nitrogen deposition as an underestimated driver of vegetation greening

The local effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on plants are well established, yet a global empirical analysis of nitrogen deposition effects on vegetation dynamics is missing. Here, we assess how nitrogen deposition, alongside other global change drivers such as fire, and changes in temperature, precipitation and human land use, is related to changes in vegetation greenness (enhanced vegetation index; EVI) from 2001 to 2024, and whether protected areas (PAs) mitigate these impacts. We found that increases in greenness were strongly and positively linked to nitrogen deposition and this pattern held across major ecosystem types. Nitrogen deposition also had a larger coefficient estimate and explained more variation in the spatial pattern of vegetation greening than the other drivers, suggesting the association of greening with nitrogen deposition may be even stronger than with climate and land‐use change. Although EVI increased slightly slower inside PAs, protection status did not alter the relationship between nitrogen deposition and greening. Our findings suggest atmospheric nitrogen deposition as a critical but often underestimated potential driver of global vegetation dynamics. Reducing nitrogen deposition, alongside greenhouse gas emissions and land‐use pressures, is therefore essential for sustaining ecosystem functioning and biodiversity.