The study looked at how climate change and human activities have affected vegetation growth in northern China from 1982 to 2013. They used satellite data to measure vegetation changes and found that as the climate got warmer, vegetation increased in colder and wetter areas, but decreased in wetter places with lots of vegetation. The researchers also found that human activities contributed to about 40% of the vegetation growth, with farming practices causing some areas to lose vegetation, but ecological restoration programs helping increase vegetation in certain zones.