Global climate and weather patterns are driven by differences in the amount of heat energy in different areas of the earth. which statement best explains why different areas of the earth have different amounts of heat energy? a. the solar radiation from the sun is equally distributed across the earth at all times. b. the gravitational energy from the sun varies greatly in different regions of the earth. c. the earth spins at different rates so the rotational energy of the earth varies. d. the earth receives different amounts of solar energy in different regions.