World no tobacco day
World no tobacco day 2022
World No Tobacco Day of 2022 was an opportunity to shed light on the tobacco burden.
Commemorated under the theme, Tobacco: threat to our environment, this year’s World No Tobacco Day offers an opportunity for all Africans to come together and claim their right to a healthy environment. Over 80% of the 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest1. This includes many countries in Africa that unfortunately, cannot cope with such a burden. As such, in addition to the challenge posed by tobacco use in achieving the sustainable development goal (SDG) 3 (health and well-being), tobacco is also threatening Africa’s potential to achieve SDG 14 (life below water) and SDG 15 (life on land) through its impacts on the environment.
World No Tobacco Day 2022 raises awareness about the environmental impact of tobacco in relation to its cultivation, production, distribution, and post-consumption waste.
Article 18 of the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) requires parties to protect the environment and human health in respect of tobacco cultivation and transformation.
Tobacco cultivation entails an intense quantity of fertilizers and pesticides compared to many other crops. These chemicals are eventually washed out of the tobacco fields and end up contaminating our waterways, including groundwater, rivers, and seas. Worse, exposure to these agrochemicals and pesticides can cause serious health problems and even death. Furthermore, the clearing of forests for development of new tobacco fields and curing contributes to deforestation, one of the main contributors of Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and climate change. About 11.4 million metric tonnes of wood are required annually for tobacco curing.
