February 2009: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Expert Team Meeting on “Drought and Extreme Temperatures: Preparedness and Management for Sustainable Agriculture, Rangelands, Forestry, and Fisheries” will be held from 18-19 February 2009, in Beijing, China.

A workshop will precede the event from 16-17 February 2009, organized by the Chinese Meteorological Administration, to give further input to the Expert Team meeting. Workshop participants will discuss a variety of issues, including drought monitoring, national drought policies and coping strategies, and extreme temperatures and related climate change projections.
The meeting of the Expert Team will review and assess: the increasing frequency and severity of droughts and extreme temperatures around the world; assess the current status of monitoring and predicting droughts; summarize the status of drought preparedness and drought coping strategies; and the strengths and weaknesses of existing national drought policies. Participants will also seek to recommend ways and means to establish and strengthen policy guidelines, taking into account future climate change scenarios. [Meeting Website]