The World Meteorological Organization has just published Towards A Compendium on National Drought Policy, co-edited by Donald A. Wilhite, founding director of the National Drought Mitigation Center. The volume is the proceedings of an expert meeting that was July 14-15, 2011, in Washington, D.C.
"Given the current concerns with climate change, projected increases in the frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts and resulting impacts on many sectors, in particular food, water, and energy, there is cause for concern regarding the lack of drought preparedness and appropriate drought management policies for virtually all nations," the editors said in the preface to the Compendium. Recognizing that the needs and resources of countries vary greatly, the volume is an overview of national drought policies, highlighting components that are likely to be helpful in various circumstances.
Editors from each of the sponsoring organizations were Mannava V.K. Sivakumar, director of the Climate Prediction and Adaptation Branch, Climate and Water Department, WMO; Wilhite, director of the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Raymond P. Motha, chief meteorology, World Agricultural Outlook Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture; and John J. Qu, director of the Environmental Science & Technology Center at George Mason University.