Solar energy enters the atmosphere and penetrates the surface of the earth. Some of the energy is radiated back into the atmosphere and depending on the number of particles suspended in the atmosphere, the radiated energy bounces back to the earth’s surface. The water bodies also absorb this energy and facilitate the process of evaporation. Plants also transpire due to heat energy from the sun.
Human beings can grossly alter the energy flow of our planet in a variety of ways. For instance, the products obtained from fossil fuel combustion like soot and also soil particles due to wind erosion leads to the suspension of aerosols in the atmosphere, which interferes with the energy flow from the sun because these particles act as greenhouse gases which allows the radiation of the sun to pass through but traps the radiated heat from earth surface making the region below it warmer than usual. Other human-induced activities include changes in land cover as well as the depletion of the ozone layer through the chemical; the action of chlorofluorocarbons.