World No Tobacco Day-2022 Theme: Protect the Environment

World No Tobacco Day is an annual awareness day taking place on 31 May. It was created in 1987 by Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness of the harms caused by tobacco products to people, public health, communities and the environment. World No Tobacco Day aims to draw attention to the business practices of tobacco companies to capture generations of consumers and their interference in policy decisions that undermines effective tobacco control. Globally 1.8 million deaths are caused by lung cancer annually. Tobacco smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer, contributing to roughly 1.2 million deaths per year. Quitting smoking can significantly reduce the risk of lung cancer. World No-Tobacco Day is held with a different theme every year. Many events and activities are organised to educate people about the bad effects of tobacco on health. In 2021, the WHO kicked off a year-long campaign for World No-Tobacco Day titled ‘Commit to Quit’. Through many initiatives, the goal of the campaign was to support about a 100 million people worldwide in their attempts to stop tobacco use. In 2022, the WHO is observing World No-Tobacco Day by bringing attention to the various ways in which tobacco threatens the environment. Finally, World No Tobacco Day serves to highlight what WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic that kills up to half its users and contributes to more than eight million people dying every year, and what people can do to protect future generations and allow everyone the chance to claim their right to health. The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2022 is “Protect the environment”, highlighting that, throughout its lifecycle, tobacco pollutes the planet and damages the health of all people. Every year, the theme of World No Tobacco Day addresses a specific issue related to tobacco and its industry. This year, the theme focuses on the impact of tobacco on the environment and aims to expose efforts by tobacco companies to “greenwash” their reputation by marketing themselves as environmentally friendly. Discarded cigarette butts represent the first source of plastic pollution in the world, while the use of pesticides to grow tobacco plants as well as deforestation (3.5 million hectares of land destroyed each year) and the use of large amounts of water to cultivate tobacco, damaging ecosystems and reducing climate resilience. Tobacco companies also contribute 84 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent to greenhouse gases. Tobacco cultivation produces almost 84 megatons of CO2 emissions per year – Curbing tobacco production will improve people’s health and the health of the planet. Tobacco does not only harm the smoker – it also harms the environment. For every 300 cigarettes made, one tree is cut down. 6 trillion cigarettes are made each year. Smoking cigarettes emits toxic substances into the atmosphere which harm the environment and people. Tobacco cessation will help smokers, other people, and the planet. Just as tobacco companies are most active in marketing their products in low- and middle-income countries, so do they concentrate up to 90% of tobacco production in these regions that bear their highest environmental burden. The campaign calls on governments and policy makers to step up legislation, including implementing and strengthening existing schemes, such as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The celebration of World No Tobacco Day puts the emphasis on raising awareness on the deleterious effect of tobacco use on health, and specifically on cancer cases and deaths. Tobacco use is linked to at least 20 cancer types and the leading preventable cause of cancer by a wide margin. Indeed, tobacco products cause some 2.4 million deaths globally every year effective tobacco control in low- and middle-income countries where 80% of the world’s smokers live, supports the implementation of cost-effective measures to curb tobacco use, and raises awareness about efforts by the tobacco industry to expand its market and fight anti-smoking legislation. Tobacco use is a major issue that impacts all communities and impedes the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. It has direct harmful effects on its consumer’s health, but it also affects the country’s economy, environment, women’s health and childhood labour. Tobacco taxation is one of the most effective and cost-effective measures for controlling tobacco use and preventing NCDs, including cancer. Tobacco goes far beyond an issue of health – it places a tremendous burden on countries least equipped to respond to tobacco-related illness and death. Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of cancer and stopping smoking is one of the best things we can do to reduce our risk of cancer. Tobacco use burdens the global economy with an estimated USD 1.4 trillion in health care costs and lost productivity each year. Quitting tobacco at any age can make huge a difference, increasing your life expectancy and improving quality of life. In 1987, the World Health Organization (WHO) established World No-Tobacco to drum up awareness around the dangers of tobacco consumption, the business practices of the tobacco industry, as well as to pressure governments around the world to step up policies that work to reduce smoking and the use of other tobacco-based products. Research shows smoking tobacco cuts down lung capacity while increasing the severity of respiratory conditions. Also, studies show that smokers are at higher risk of developing severe forms of Covid-19—a disease which primarily attacks the lungs. According to the WHO, the 2022 campaign looks to drum up awareness about the environmental impact of the entire tobacco cycle—from its cultivation, production and distribution to the toxic waste that is generated. The tobacco cycle poisons water, soil, beaches and city streets with chemicals, toxic waste, cigarette butts, including microplastics, and e-cigarette waste, the WHO said.
(The author is a Nursing Reseach Scholar. Views are his own)
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