AbstractThis review substantially updates the earlier review by Pittock (1978) in the light of more than 100 papers published in the last few years. Note is made of an encouraging trend towards the study of physical mechanisms, as well as important new evidence on the short, intermediate, and longer time‐scales which must be taken into account. Notable amongst these are increasing doubts and controversy surrounding the claimed effects of solar magnetic field sector boundary crossings, new studies and ideas concerning correlations on the decadal time‐scales, and the availability of long series of proxy data on solar activity and climatic fluctuations on a thousand‐year time‐scale. The review concludes with a discussion of the controversy over solar variability, weather and climate as an example of scientific decision‐making in the face of inadequate data and other uncertainties, with reference to the statistical ideas of Type I and Type II errors and Weinberg's concept of a ‘republic of tra