How Cigarette Use Poses Danger To Environment Too

Each step in the tobacco cycle, including tobacco cultivation, production, distribution, consumption, and waste, contributes towards the poisoning of Earth.

Representative Photo

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Tobacco use poses a huge threat to global health, and a lot of work has been done in the area of tobacco control to spread awareness about the health risks of tobacco use. However, the harmful effects of tobacco on the environment have been less documented. 

Each step in the tobacco cycle, including tobacco cultivation, production, distribution, consumption, and waste, contributes towards the poisoning of Earth. According to the World Health Organization's recent report titled 'Tobacco: Poisoning Our Planet', the harmful impact of the tobacco industry on the environment is vast and growing, and has so far received relatively little attention from researchers and policy-makers who can reduce the demand for tobacco through effective interventions.

Tobacco is not just a human problem, but also a planetary problem. Moreover, tobacco not only harms the people who consume it, but also those involved in tobacco production. This implies that tobacco is no longer simply a health threat, but a threat to human development as a whole.

Smoking cigarettes harms the environment in different ways. For instance, discarded cigarettes end up being littered along green spaces, sidewalks, and roadsides.

Different Ways In Which Cigarette Use Is Harming The Planet

Cigarette butts pose a huge danger to the planet. Also, the chemicals present in tobacco smoke cause air pollution. A huge amount of water is used to manufacture a single cigarette, leading to the wastage of an important resource. 

Danger Posed By Cigarette Butts

As many as 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded every year. These butts pollute the environment, and often result in accidental fires, wildfires, and fire deaths. 

Over 6,80,300 tonnes of annual waste are generated by tobacco products. Cigarette butts produce 9,07,184 tonnes of waste annually, according to the WHO report. 

Also, 65 per cent of smokers discard cigarette butts improperly. Tobacco product waste, which consistently ranks among the most prevalent of all collected waste and litter, is estimated to account for at least 25 to 40 per cent of all global litter, and poses a huge threat to the environment.

Huge Numbers Of Cigarettes Are Manufactured In A Year

Around six trilion cigarettes are estimated to be manufactured every year. About 300 billion packages composed of paper, ink, cellophane, foil, and glue are used to market the cigarettes. 

In 2021, around two million tonnes of waste was generated from cartons and boxes used for the distribution of tobacco products. This is equal to the total weight of 9,433 freight trains. 

Harmful Chemicals Present In Tobacco Smoke

More than 7,000 chemicals have been identified in tobacco smoke, with at least 70 of them causing cancer in humans and animals.

Cigarette Production Results In Wastage Of Water

Approximately 3.7 litres of water are utilised to make a single cigarette. The water is used in a wide range of processes, including cultivation of tobacco, cigarette manufacture, and transportation. 

Around 22 billion tonnes of water are used in tobacco production worldwide, which is the equivalent of 15 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. This is also approximately equivalent to the amount of water discharged by the Amazon river in a single day.

Cultivation of tobacco requires up to eight times more water than tomatoes or potatoes. 

If the production, consumption, and disposal of one kilogram of tobacco is avoided, the annual potable water needs of one person can be met, according to the WHO. 

In order to cultivate one kilogram of tobacco, 678 litres of water are required. 

Tobacco Agriculture Results In Deforestation

On an average, one tree is required to make 300 cigarettes. Tobacco farming accounts for about five per cent of total deforestation, and almost 200,000 hectares of land are cleared annually for tobacco agriculture.

Also, 84 megatons of carbon-dioxide are released into the atmosphere every year because of tobacco agriculture. Meanwhile, the launch of a single rocket results in the emission of just 300 tonnes of carbon-dioxide. 

During the entire life cycle of a cigarette, approximately 14 grams of carbon-dioxide are released into the atmosphere.

Environment Tax

Certain countries and cities have levied an environmental tax on tobacco products. 

Based on the amount of carbon emissions resulting from carbon-intensive products, the European Union has proposed an environmental tax on them.

In 2010, San Francisco implemented a policy of paying a fee to people for cleaning up cigarette waste, which includes cigarette butts and plastic packaging.

With Trithesh Nandan