In comparison, we should also discuss the how the effects of human activities on weather could be disastrous; thus, it can become a boomerang on the general peace of the human community. In simpler terms, the human activities can wreak serious havoc on the state of the weather or climatic conditions of the world just as much as these conditions too can have grave consequences on human activities.
The weather can be a very delicate part of existence which needs care as much as the survival of man himself. That is why it is important that man pays rapt attention to what he disposes or releases into the atmosphere because any unlikely or likely substance in the air can both facilitate its rapid changes into bad, and into good.
The climate or the weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years.
It is driven by air pressure, temperature, and moisture differences between one place and another. Earth’s weather system is a chaotic system; as a result, small changes to one part of the system can grow to have large effects on the system as a whole. Human attempts to control the weather have occurred throughout history, and there is evidence that human activities such as agriculture and industry have modified weather patterns.
Weather at the Mercy of Human Activities
Is it then not time we looked into what and what can man himself and his daily businesses do to affect the weather in ways that can be deleterious to health and general survival? Outlining some of the inimical effects of human activities on weather is the focus below:
Greenhouse Gases in Atmosphere
There is overwhelming evidence that human activities, especially burning fossil fuels, are leading to increased levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which in turn amplify the natural greenhouse effect, causing the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere, ocean, and land surface to increase.
That greenhouse gases “trap” infrared heat is well established through laboratory experiments going back to 1856 when Eunice Foote first measured the effect.
Read Also: Impact of Weather on Human Activities
Alteration of the Climate
Human activities, particularly the combustion of fossil fuels, are altering the climate system. Human-driven changes in land use and land cover such as deforestation, urbanization, and shifts in vegetation patterns also alter the climate, resulting in changes to the reflectivity of the Earth surface (albedo), emissions from burning forests, urban heat island effects and changes in the natural water cycle.
Crop Failures
While the carbon footprint of livestock is high, fruits and vegetables don’t get off scot-free. Fertilizers that contain nitrogen have been used to produce more crops, and faster than natural fertilizers like manure and ground bone (which have been used for millennia). Unfortunately, these fertilizers also produce nitrous oxide emissions which at the end of the day causes crop failures or growth inadequacy.
High Temperature
The potential for human activities to increase the temperature of the Earth through greenhouse gas emissions has been described and calculated for over a century. Volumes of scientific research across multiple scientific disciplines agree that humans are warming the climate.
Damaging of the Atmosphere
Increased livestock farming has resulted in an increase of methane gases. Both cows and sheep produce methane while they digest their food. According to the University of California at Davis, cattle are the number one producer of greenhouse gases for the global agriculture industry. A single cow will belch nearly 220 lbs of methane each year. While methane has a shorter shelf-life than carbon dioxide, it’s much more damaging when it comes to warming the atmosphere.
Increased Flood
One of the effects of human activities on weather is the increase in flooding and the damaging strength it has on the weather, thus, the human community as a whole. When several materials are disposed carefully, it is bound to cause troubles and dangerous flooding.
