Meteorological and Climatic Knowledge Throughout Human History and the Case of the Semiarid Tropical Climate of the Semiarid Region of Brazil: Considerations and Challenges for Vulnerability Reduction and Climate Risk Management

Abstract

This study discusses the relationship between the understanding of climatic conditions and social and human development, focusing on reflections and challenges in the Brazilian semiarid region, northeastern Brazil. The objective was to demonstrate how weather, climate, meteorological, and climatic phenomena were characterized and understood by different civilizations as well as to elucidate how the tropical environment, with a focus on the semiarid region, was understood over time.To do so, a narrative literature review was carried out, including academic research.The search did not have a defined period of time, allowing for all articles, regardless of year of publication. In order to understand the evolution of the topic over the years, the methodology did not define a specific time window of articles. The oldest manuscript was published in 1967 and the most recent in 2021. In total, a sample of 46 scientific articles was reviewed. The results showed that knowing the atmosphere of planet Earth has been one of the ambitions pursued by humanity for a long time. We concluded that the logical understanding of weather and climate phenomena can be one of the main tools to develop effective strategies to adapt to climatic anomalies.