Mainly as a result of increasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions that have come about as a byproduct of economic activity at large, but particularly in sectors heavily reliant on fossil fuels, global temperatures are at present higher relative to pre-industrial levels, and are projected to rise further in coming decades.
In addition to the environmental, health and broader welfare costs that such damage is already impinging, climate-related risks are among the main threats faced by the world in the medium- to longrun, especially in view of scenarios with potentially catastrophic and irreversible consequences, which are currently envisaged as plausible.