ABSTRACT
The human consequences of a significant weather or climate variation such as a severe drought depend largely on the ways in which direct sector effects filter through the socio-economic-political fabric of a society. The degree to which the initial climate event is transformed into stress is influenced by a number of factors including market prices, government policies, farm stability, and the degree to which the drought is seen as a local, regional, or global problem. The diverse impact of weather and climate on manufacturing may be broadly categorized into two broad divisions: those influencing the location of the industry, and those affecting the operations of the industrial plant once an industry has been established. A programme to inform management that better decisions could be made if better use was made of weather and climate information and weather and climate forecasts, would therefore appear to be justified.
