Drought in the SW United States – Water Policy Past, Present and Future

Originally aired August 20, 2015

The second webinar in SSF’s Food, Water, Energy Nexus series — co-hosted with ASU’s School of Sustainability — examines drought in the Southwestern United States, focusing primarily on California as a harbinger for other regions. Panelists from California’s Water Resources Control Board, NASA, and the Pacific Institute explore the water policies of past, present, and future and their impact on water supply for agriculture, cities, and society as a whole.

Speakers

Dr. David White (Moderator)

Associate Professor, School of Community Resources and Development; Director, Decision Center for a Desert City, Arizona State University

Dr. David White is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University’s School of Community Resources and Development and Director of the NSF-funded Decision Center for a Desert City — a center focused on water-management decisions in the face of growing climatic uncertainty in central Arizona. His research bridges climate science, water policy, and decision-making under uncertainty for communities in arid and semi-arid environments.

Max Gomberg

Climate Change Advisor, California State Water Resources Control Board

Max Gomberg serves as Climate Change Advisor to the California State Water Resources Control Board, where he has helped develop emergency water conservation regulations and long-term climate adaptation strategies for the state’s water system. His work addresses how California’s water governance must evolve to manage the growing risks of drought, changing snowpack, and increasing demand in a warming climate.

Dr. Ben Cook

Adjunct Associate Research Scientist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies

Dr. Ben Cook is an Adjunct Associate Research Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and a leading expert on megadroughts — sustained droughts lasting decades or longer that have shaped civilizations throughout history. His research uses paleoclimate data and climate models to understand the drivers and likelihood of severe long-term droughts in North America and other regions, and what they mean for water security in the 21st century.

Heather Cooley

Co-Director, Water Program, Pacific Institute

Heather Cooley is Co-Director of the Water Program at the Pacific Institute, one of the leading independent research organizations on global water issues. Her work covers water efficiency, water recycling, agricultural water use, and the impacts of climate change on water resources — with a focus on California and the American West. She has been a key voice in shaping state and regional water policy to improve resilience to drought and climate variability.