New research finds that land-cover changes increased rainfall overall while reducing water availability across much of China. Popular Mechanics reported that roughly 78 billion trees have been planted since the early 1980s, based on estimates cited in its coverage. More Vegetation Increased Water Movement into the AtmosphereChina’s land surface changed substantially during the period examined by researchers. Those areas increased evapotranspiration by 8.44 billion cubic meters per year and precipitation by 5.08 billion cubic meters per year, while reducing water availability by 3.36 billion cubic meters per year. The redistribution matters because water resources were already unevenly divided before these land-cover changes were considered.