The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Tobacco lays waste to the environment, besides killing 8 million people a year – UN health agency
Tobacco not only kills over eight million people a year, but its consumption also has a devastating impact on the environment.
That’s the message on World No Tobacco Day, marked on 31 May, from the UN health agency which warned that tobacco products are linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss. “The tobacco industry is one of the world’s worst polluters, causing deforestation, water waste, air pollution, and littered beaches, parks and city sidewalks,” said Dr. Ruediger Krech, Director of Health Promotion at the World Health Organization (WHO).
To put it into perspective, Dr. Krech explained that “the trees cut down to make way for tobacco growing make up five per cent of global deforestation. An area roughly half the size of Cap Verde disappears every year.” That is a total of 600 million trees chopped down, with 84 million tons of carbon dioxide released into the air, and 22 billion tons of water -that’s about 9 million Olympic-sized swimming pools- used globally to make cigarettes according to WHO.
Make tobacco industry accountable
Cigarettes and e-cigarettes are the primary contributors to the build-up of plastic pollution. Non-biodegradable cigarette butts are the most discarded waste item worldwide and the second-highest form of plastic pollution. With no evidence that filters have any proven health benefits, WHO is calling on policymakers to ban cigarette filters and to make the industry more accountable for the damage it is causing.
“WHO urges countries to create legislation enforcing the tobacco industry to be responsible for cleaning up their deadly tobacco products and paying for damaging the environment. This would spare $240 million for German taxpayers every year, $760 million for Indian taxpayers, and $2.6 billion for Chinese,” Doctor Krech explained.
He added: “Governments should immediately stop subsidizing tobacco growth. Annually, this deadly industry is subsidized with $500 billion which is also taxpayers’ money”.
Countries like France and Spain and cities like San Francisco, in the US have taken a stand. Following the “polluter pays” principle, they have successfully implemented “extended producer responsibility legislation” which makes the tobacco industry responsible for clearing up the pollution it creates. WHO has urged countries and cities to follow this example, while also supporting tobacco farmers to switch to sustainable crops, implement strong tobacco taxes and offer support services to help people quit smoking.
Ends
- Exterior wide shot: UN flag alley UN Geneva.
- Cutaway: Wide shot, Press room, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Dr Ruediger Krech, Director of Health Promotion (WHO): “The tobacco industry is one of the world’s worst polluters, causing deforestation, water waste, air pollution, and littered beaches, parks and city sidewalks.”
- Cutaway: medium shot, journalists listening.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Dr Ruediger Krech, Director of Health Promotion (WHO): “The trees cut down to make way for tobacco growing make up five per cent of global deforestation. An area roughly half the size of Cap Verde disappears every year.”
- Cutaway: medium shot, journalists listening.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Dr Ruediger Krech, Director of Health Promotion (WHO): “WHO urges countries to create legislation enforcing the tobacco industry to be responsible for cleaning up their deadly tobacco products and paying for damaging the environment. This would spare $240 million for German taxpayers every year, ($)760 (million) for Indian taxpayers, and ($) 2.6 billion for Chinese.”
- Cutaway: wide shot, journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Dr Ruediger Krech, Director of Health Promotion (WHO): “Governments should immediately stop subsidizing tobacco growth. Annually, this deadly industry is subsidized with $500 billion which is also taxpayers’ money”.
- Various: medium shot, press conference room, speakers at podium, journalists.
Similar Stories
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | IAEA
The head of the UN’s atomic energy agency on Thursday welcomed the signing of an initial Iran-US memorandum aimed at ending the war, before proposing “to sit down” with both parties to assist with concrete measures including verification of Iran’s nuclear programme, a critical sticking point.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , IFRC
‘Some people question whether Ebola is real’: trust is central in fighting DRC outbreak, humanitarians say
In Ebola-stricken Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), winning the race against the disease requires earning the community’s trust first and foremost, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Monday 15 June delivered his Global Update to the 62nd UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
2
1
1
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC
As representatives of Iran and the United States reportedly prepared to sign a new peace agreement at the end of the week, the UN on Monday stressed the urgent need to open an aid corridor to transit the choked-off Strait of Hormuz and prevent a global hunger crisis.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
DR Congo: Ebola spreads as agencies brace for child infections
The deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is continuing to spread with a spike in child infections an increasingly likely scenario, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Community trust and lab testing at the heart of DRC Ebola response – WHO
In Ebola-stricken eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a massive push for early testing and contact tracing is underway to contain the virus, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNFPA
The UN in Lebanon appealed for an additional $331.5 million on Friday to help 1.4 million people in crisis as already massive needs continue to grow, three months after deadly violence erupted between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN Security Council meets amid rising Israel-Hezbollah tensions in Lebanon.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the biweekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson made the following remarks deplored the death in State custody of Brooklyn Rivera in Nicaragua.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Lebanon: Tyre hospital strikes leave patients without critical care – WHO
The UN health agency in Lebanon is verifying reports of strikes on a hospital in the southern city of Tyre on Monday, amid a concerning rise in attacks on healthcare in the country.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
El Niño confirmed, extreme weather events will be more intense, says WMO
The UN urged all countries on Tuesday to bolster early warning systems after confirming the onset of El Niño, warning that the Pacific Ocean-warming phenomenon will bring above-average temperatures “nearly everywhere” and fuel more extreme weather.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘A disease you get when you care for someone’: on the frontlines of the Ebola crisis with WHO
Two weeks into the latest Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) is estimating that there are 906 suspected cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including 223 suspected deaths.