In part one of our report on rethinking drought and water,” (“Out of the woods?” Sept. 23, 2017) California State Climatologist Michael Anderson and University of California Riverside Professor of Environmental Economics and Policy Kurt Schwabe discussed the changing nature of drought in our region. But to merely focus on droughts may be shortsighted. According to both experts, the key to navigating the next drought will likely lie in how well we plan for change. According to Anderson, seasonal forecasting offers the opportunity to set expectations for water management as warming continues, noting during a presentation on climate, drought and change at the University of California at Davis last year, “The ability to manage water will increasingly rely on the ability to forecast events and manage projects and systems nimbly in real-time.”
