Researchers from ETH Zurich and other universities have revealed that large-scale irrigation has significantly reduced the effects of global warming, particularly in South Asia. The team used observational data and global climate simulations and found that the rise in the temperature was completely neutralized by the cooling effect of irrigation in intensely irrigated regions such as Southern Europe, North Africa, South Asia, and the United States. The study highlights that expanding irrigation has considerably reduced human exposure to extremely hot temperatures. However, it is doubtful if this benefit will continue with the decreasing groundwater level and shrinking glaciers.