Climate determines, provides resources for, and poses hazards to human activities. It determines population sizes and distributions, as harsh climates discourage settlement while more hospitable climates encourage it. Climate also determines agriculture by influencing what crops can be grown and where, as seen with cereal production in Ghana's north. Climate acts as a resource by enabling certain economic activities like cocoa production in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. However, climate can also hazard human activities by threatening population health and migration in very hot or cold places and endangering investments and agriculture through climate changes and extremes.

1. ss/grp/18/0003
1
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST
COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND LEGAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND REGIONAL PLANNING
NAME: ADDAI JULIUS PAMFO
INDEX NUMBER: SS/GRP/18/0003
PROGRAMME: BSc GEOGRAPHY AND REGIONAL PLANNING
COURSE: INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL
COURSE CODE: GEO 101
GROUP: 3
QUESTION: Climate is a determinant of, a resource for and a hazard to human
activities. Discuss why?
First of all, there is a necessity to understand what climate really entails and how
serious it is to in terms of its effect (positive and negative) to our environment. Climate is

2. ss/grp/18/0003
2
purposefully defined as the average weather condition of a place over a long period of time,
mostly 30 years to 35 years. It is an atmospheric science. The climatic data and findings is
what mostly is used in weather forecasting and other weather predictions. The study of
climate was first done by the Greeks and even the word climate was first coined out of the
Greek word klima meaning ‘slope’. As all the other geographical parts of the earth are not
independent, so is climate also not independent or self-reliant, and does not form also based
on a static continuous process of happenings but is influenced by other geological parts of the
earth to formulate and function. As in the sense of a continuous volcanic activities of a
specific place affecting that geographical area in terms of it gradually depleting the ozone
layer and eventually having greenhouse effect on that land. Erosion, rainfall, tsunami and
other natural occurrences shows how also directly and indirectly the climate can affected
places and be affected also by a place. Since we have now concomitantly had some basic
knowledge concerning the climate, I believe it to be very prudent for us to move on in
knowing how it can determine human activities, be a resource for human activities and at the
same time be a hazard to human activities.
Firstly, climate is a very huge determinant of diverse human activities in many ways,
and this clearly is seen in the life and activities of people in different places around the world.
Since climate is unstable and changes as time goes on, and since every climate also comes
with its own features to which humans must look upon to plan what to do and what not to do,
definitely some activities of humans will be altered and some will be started. This happens to
different people at different places around the world. In what context am I saying this, with
respect to the population of countries, aside other human activities, climate is the most
prominent determining factor. I will dwell more on the climate of other countries to build
more on this point and other succeeding ones. Taking a look the country Iceland, the
population of the country is about 320,000 of which even two thirds dwell in the capital

3. ss/grp/18/0003
3
Reykjavik and its immediate metropolitan area. For the benefit of those who know not where
and what Iceland is; Iceland is a country in the Northern part of Europe, 300km east to
Greenland and 900km West to Norway, located at the Arctic circle of which about 10% of
their land area is covered with ice. Now look at this, Iceland covers an area of about
130,00km and it is approximately the same size as the U.S state Virginia and slightly larger
than Republic of Ireland. Virginia has a population of about 739,795 whiles Republic of
Ireland has an estimated population of 4.773 million. Iceland is as large as these places but
still deprived in terms of population as compared to these places, even despite they having the
highest birth rate in all of Northern Europe. All these is attributed to the nature of their
climate; they sometimes experience some acid rains, some very cold weather temperatures
and even hurricanes. They also experience more darkness that light in a day (which is
approximately 80% darkness to 20% light). All these climatic conditions and other severe
ones definitely will discourage immigration and may even encourage high emigration
regardless of the fact that they have the wealthiest economy in Northern Europe and being
one of the cleanest countries in the world. Comparing Iceland to the aforementioned countries
who have relatively friendly climates which is somewhat beneficial to most people in other
countries, eventually there will be continuous rise in population, which in turn will influence
their economic and social outcomes. By this I can boldly say that climate duly determines
population of countries, all other things being equal.
Climate also can determine the agricultural produce of a place. Starting locally from Ghana,
cereals are mostly cultivated in the northern regions due to the type of climate (that is, the
savanna) available which duly influence the land and make it suitable only for those kinds of
crops. So as cocoa is mostly grown in the south western part of Ghana due to its climate
being humid and having high rainfall as compared to other regions. These landscapes then
makes it suitable for its cultivation, so as it is in some parts of la Cote d’Ivoire as it relates

4. ss/grp/18/0003
4
with cocoa production. The climatic conditions of a place even also determines the kind and
type of animals who are able and capable of dwelling there. Elephants dwell mostly in Africa
due to them being more attached to the hot climate than cold ones. This even also relates with
why camels are found in desert rather than green lands. Not so in the case of some animals
like the white panda, snow leopard, some species of wolves and other snow loving animals
who only can survive in snowy areas. The climate of the desert, particularly the Saharan
desert, prevents most crops from being cultivated there as compared to the very humid
climates of the sub Saharan countries. So therefore also climate determines the agricultural
produce of places as it differs.
Climate also is a massive determinant of the choice of clothes or attire to be worn by people
at different geographical locations. For us in Ghana, since our weather temperature is about
25ºC - 37ºC, it is very necessary to wear light cotton clothes in other to feel comfortable and
be healthy, but for those in very cold places like Russia, Greenland and others, the best clothe
to wear is a very heavy clothe which is even made mostly of nylon fabric in other for them to
be temperately adjusted to the climate, since even their weather temperature can even be as
low as approximately -3ºC - 15ºC. So as it is in other countries which has various weather
and climatic conditions. To this I can affirm and conclude that even our choice of cloth or
attire is determined by our climate.
Climate interestingly can also be a determinant in the choosing of a host for a sporting
activity. Most times since sporting activities entails the involvement of different people from
different climatic regions, there comes the need that the appropriate authorities in such a
sporting field get a place which will be more convenient for almost every participant.
Recently, there arose a serious debate on why Qatar was given the hosting right to host the
2022 FIFA world cup, and whether it is fit or not. Despite the fact that other necessary issues
can prevent them from being host, the topical one was about their climate. They have

5. ss/grp/18/0003
5
sometimes very high weather temperatures which even is hotter than that of some African
countries, and they sometimes even record weather temperatures of about 50ºC and faces
other harsh climatic conditions. So as it was also in the hosting of Russia in the 2018 FIFA
world cup, since they also sometimes record very low weather temperatures of about -8ºC
and further lower ones. On the account of this, they allowed the world cup to be hosted only
in the European side of the country because they have relatively average temperatures as
compared to the Asian side of the country. Due to this, I can say that climate plays a very key
role in the choice of hosts for various sporting activities. By the aforementioned points and
instances I hereby conclude that almost all human activities are determined by the climate.
Secondly, climate can be a very key resource to human activities and helps in so
many ways. If the climate is very humid and releases average rainfall, it can be very good for
the planting of many types of crops, so as if the climate is clear and pure and in a condition
which suits almost every one even those afar off from the place, definitely people will tend to
make that place their immediate alternative in habitat if anything goes on wrong where they
are and this leads mostly to a steady rise in population that also brings other serious benefits.
I am going to outline some benefits some countries have derived due to the structure and
nature of their climate and how resourceful it has been to them. To start with, as we touch
more on economic growth and meaningful population growth due to climate, we will get to
know that aside climate determining, its resourcefulness is unthinkably remarkable. A
country like the United States of America (U.S.A.) has different kinds and manners of
climates at different places which is relatively fair to most people in other countries which in
turn make people choose U.S.A. over other countries aside other factors in search of greener
pastures. They have cold, warm and warmer states where people can dwell in. due to this,
they derive so many benefits like increased labor force, increased investment and a tight
intercontinental integration and to some extent foreign exchange and the rise in the price of

6. ss/grp/18/0003
6
the U.S Dollar. All these help improve their economy and even give them a strong say in the
economy of others. So as it is in some countries like the United Kingdom, France, etc. But
not that so in Iceland, Qatar, Russia, Brazil, Nigeria and other predictably static (one way)
climatic regions.
Climate also in one way or the other becomes a resource to human activities in agricultural
production. This also can be explained looking at Ghana and la Cote d’Ivoire in cocoa
production. This is due to they having favorable weather conditions in the cultivation of
cocoa, it has made them reap serious benefits from it. They alone combined produce up to
about 48% of the world’s cocoa, which is about half of the world’s cocoa, and climate has a
serious hand in this. So as it is in India who are the leading producer of cattle in the whole
world, and brazil also being world’s leading producer of sugar cane, and these all are due to
their climate, and are also helping their economy in relation to their Gross Domestic Product
(G.D.P.) . Looking at places like Alaska, London and Hong Kong who have relatively lower
yield in agriculture, it is also due to their climate and other related factors. This makes me
also to come to the conclusion that climate can be a resource to human activities in terms of
agricultural produce.
Climate is also a major resource also for military triumph. This has more grounds in relation
with ancient history and records. The Russians in times of old were virtually unconquerable
in their home soil due to primarily the nature of their climate aside other things. Since in
winter their climate is very unbearable and even a threat to the very indigenes of the land,
they prudently shifted all their wars to winter where they knew that their adversaries cannot
bear, and due to this they usually won. This plus other historical and present instances makes
me come to the conclusion that climate really sometimes becomes a resource to military
conquest. By the aforementioned factors I will say that climate is a very key resource to
human activities.

7. ss/grp/18/0003
7
Thirdly, aside climate determining various human activities and being a resource to
human activities, climate can also be a very serious hazard and peril to human activities.
Climate is a hazard to human activities in many gruesome ways, and some of its effect can be
against population, investments and also agriculture. Climate is primarily a threat to
population and its growth in so many ways. If a country’s weather temperature is too cold
that even the very indigenes finds it difficult to bear with it or become used to it, definitely it
becomes a threat to population in the sense that, the very indigenes will start to migrate and
even immigrants will start to also leave, then the country starts becoming a ghost nation. This
is very prevalent in Russia where more than half of the population dwell in the European side
of the country despite the Asian side being close to thrice the size of the European side, and
this is happening due to the Asian side of the country recording very low temperatures which
are even life threatening to some extent. Over the last five years there has been an average of
32,000 excess winter deaths in the UK every year. Of these, 9,700 die due to a cold home. So
by these figures, if people continue to live under these weather conditions, definitely not even
one will survive. To play safe, they then migrate to countries which have friendly climatic
conditions which suits them. This also happens to Iran which has very hot climate, Greenland
with very cold climate and also to Iceland where due to continuous volcanic activities, their
atmosphere have become very poisonous of which even they sometimes experience some
slight acid rains and some global warming which is very deadly to their health and even to
their vegetation. Looking at this, most of the affected and yet to be affected indigenes will
speedily migrate from the place before they perish. Climate is definitely a hazard to
population which being a human activity.
Climate also is noisome to human activities and countries in investments. Most times
investors want suitable climates to invest for their good and the good of the benefiting
country but due to the harshness of the climate or the coldness of the clime, they are forced to

8. ss/grp/18/0003
8
choose a different place. This curbs benefits and development both to the investor and to the
intended country respectively. Though there may be few exceptions to this but it is very
prevalent even in most African countries and countries close to the artic circle. Due to Iceland
also having troublesome climates, very investors will dare try or even plan of investing there,
and through this, many countries and even individuals have lost million dollar opportunities
and investments which would have been very helpful, and has also even led to unemployment
in some areas.
Climate finally is a hazard to human activities like animal rearing and crop production. Some
crops are very productive only in certain peculiar climates and are very time wasting in
others, and this also happens in the rearing of animals also which some cannot survive in
some climates. Those dwelling in desert places might have need of some special crops or
livestock to cut down their imports and help their agriculture but since they have very harsh
climate, they become impeded in doing so. This sometimes can be very heart-breaking and
very disturbing in sense of having a vast land and not being able to make any meaningful use
of it. Sometimes also due to very harsh climates and climate changes, people tend to lose
their agricultural produce which the have planted and start to incur cost and become burdened
financially, and loses investments also. These are some of the serious things that climate can
adversely affect in relation to the activities of human. Climate definitely is very harmful
sometimes to human activities.
In conclusion, I will say that climate is a gift of nature and its activities depends also
on many other factors in and around the world, and the way we as human beings do our
things also affects it positively or negatively. So as we treat our climate, so will we be treated
also by it. As the earth being an ecosystem and the various spheres depending on each other
for its functioning, so as our activities against one part of the earth’s composition can affect
others even the climate also. If we release Chloroflouro carbons (C.F.Cs) into the

9. ss/grp/18/0003
9
atmosphere, we will in turn receive serious and damaging climatic conditions as our
consequence but if we keep our environment and atmosphere very clean and free from
poisonous substances and gases, we will then have a good and safer climate and which will
have positive impact on us. Let us keep our environment clean, green and pure, and we will
reap good benefits. Thank you.

10. ss/grp/18/0003
10