Developing countries, as a group, are the ones most threatened by the hydrological impacts of global climate change. Water is a critical resource in development, and it is affected by climate change in multiple, complex ways ? through changes in temperature and rising sea levels, changes in precipitation patterns, and melting snowfields and glaciers. For drought-prone areas, for example, IPCC expects the reduction of agricultural production up to 50 percent by 2020. Adaptation strategies have to be thoroughly streamlined to regional conditions. First, priority should be given to develop measures to deal with increasing water scarcity. To implement these adaptation strategies, developing countries need strong international support.

Mark Svendsen
President, U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage
Philomath, Oregon, U.S.A.
msvendsen@peak.org

Nana Künkel
Climate Protection Programme for Developing Countries Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
Eschborn, Germany
Nana.Künkel@gtz.de