Drought and Water Crises ─ Integrating Science, Management, and Policy

This book presents a topic of increasing interest globally in light of climate change and public policy actions, particularly related to drought, which impacts many sectors of society. Over the past decade, there has been extraordinary progress towards the drought risk reduction approach. The new edition places greater emphasis on the paradigm shift from managing disasters to managing risk, reflecting the global emphasis that has evolved in recent years. Its new focus is on preparedness and the tools that are essential in drought risk reduction. It includes more case studies that reflect this new approach and provides examples applied in both developed and developing countries.

Dr. Donald A. Wilhite is a Professor of Applied Climate Science in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, U.S.A. From 2007 to 2012, Dr. Wilhite served as director of the School of Natural Resources. Previously, Dr. Wilhite was the founding director of the National Drought Mitigation Center in 1995 and the International Drought Information Center in 1989 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Recently elected a Fellow in the American Meteorological Society, his research and outreach activities have focused on issues of drought monitoring, planning, mitigation, and policy and the use of climate information in decision making. He recently chaired the International Organizing Committee for the High-level Meeting on National Drought Policy, sponsored by WMO, FAO, and UNCCD. Dr. Wilhite has served as a consultant to WMO, FAO and the World Bank, among others, and has worked with many countries on drought management and policy issues. He chairs the management and advisory committees of the Integrated Drought Management Program, launched recently by WMO and the Global Water Partnership. Dr. Wilhite has authored or co-authored more than 140 journal articles, monographs, book chapters, and technical reports and has been the recipient of more than $20 million in research grants. Dr. Wilhite is editor or co-editor of numerous books on drought and drought management.

Dr. Roger S. Pulwarty is the Senior Advisor for Climate Research, and the Director of the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) at the NOAA Office of Ocean and Atmospheric Research, in Boulder, Colorado. Roger’s publications focus on climate and risk management in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean. Throughout his career, Roger has helped develop and lead widelyrecognized programs dealing with climate science and adaptation, including the Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments, NIDIS, and the Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change project in the Caribbean. Roger is a lead author on the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the IPCC Special Reports on Water Resources and on Extremes, and a convening lead author on Adaptation Planning and Implementation in the IPCC Working Group Fifth Assessment. Roger has served on advisory committees of the National Academy of Sciences, provided testimonies before the U.S. Congress, and acts as an advisor on climate risk management and services to the Western Governors Association, the Organization of American States, the UNDP, the UNEP, and the InterAmerican and World Banks, among others. He chairs the UN World Meteorological Organization Climate Services Information System and the White House Task Force on Water, Energy and Food Security. Roger’s work has been featured in several media communications, including the New York Times and the BBC. Roger is Professor-Adjunct at the University of Colorado and the University of the West Indies. He is a recipient of Department of Commerce, Caribbean Academy of Sciences and other awards for integrating scientific research into decisionmaking.