Assessing the impact of weather and climate in Australia

Weather and climate have a significant impact on the Australian society and environment. While the impacts of major changes in the Australian climate likely to occur from the enhanced greenhouse effect have been reported in the literature fewer studies have addressed the impact of the climate's natural variability. Ways in which weather and climate and its variability impact on the decision making process are described and methods available to assess the sensitivity of the economy and the natural environment are also presented. Methods which are being developed to determine the value of weather and climate information to decision makers are briefly described. The El Niño Southern Oscillation is a strong contributor to the variability of the Australian climate. It is used to illustrate the impact of climate variability on both the economy and natural environment of Australia. Finally, the extent to which there is political awareness of the impact of climate variability on the Australian society and environment is briefly examined.