Effects of Chemical Events on Environment in Africa

Abstract

Africa has a wide variety of traditional cultures, which have existed for centuries in equilibrium with their environment. Currently, the population growth in Africa, changing technologies, and altered lifestyles have made the balancing mechanisms ineffective. Socio-ecological systems that took centuries to evolve are being broken down with disastrous results for both humans and their life-supporting environment. There is a great need for land-use planning and policy to achieve the objectives of the African governments and satisfy the needs of the people. The ecological changes taking place in Africa can affect the local climates in three ways: (1) the ratio of solar radiation reflected from and absorbed by the earth's surface can change, (2) the ratio of convection and evaporative heat released from the earth's surface can change, and (3) the hydrological cycle can be modified. There is some evidence that these changes might be taking place in Africa. The changed climatic pattern may be a result of the chemical events that are taking place in Africa.