While the major snowstorms in parts of the US and Europe this winter have gotten a lot of the headlines, a much bigger story is the ongoing drought in many parts of the world, including parts of the United States, Asia, Australia, and elsewhere. In California, for example, authorities have imposed emergency measures to deal with what some scientists have called the country’s worst drought in 500 years.

On his visit to California last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement with California Governor Jerry Brown to, among other things, export Israeli water technology to California to help the state better cope with drought. “Through this agreement, California and Israel will build on their respective strengths in research and technology to confront critical problems we both face, such as water scarcity, cybersecurity and climate change,” said Brown. Of the seven areas the agreement specifies for cooperation, water conservation and management is listed first.