Over the last 50 years, human activities – particularly the burning of fossil fuels – have released sufficient quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to trap additional heat in the lower atmosphere and affect the global climate.

In the last 130 years, the world has warmed by approximately 0.85oC. Each of the last 3 decades has been successively warmer than any preceding decade since 18501.

Sea levels are rising, glaciers are melting and precipitation patterns are changing. Extreme weather events are becoming more intense and frequent.

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) affect the airways and other structures of the lungs altering how one can breathe. Preventable CRDs include asthma and respiratory allergies, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), occupational lung diseases, cancer, sleep apnoea and pulmonary hypertension.

The symptoms of COPD include breathlessness, abnormal amounts of mucus in the airways, and a chronic cough. Daily activities—such as walking or exercising—can become very difficult as the condition gradually worsens. The primary cause of COPD is tobacco smoke.