Tobacco control efforts must begin to prioritize strategies to combat the destructive impacts of tobacco not only on public health, but also on the environment and sustainable development, said senior officials at the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) conference.
The High-Level Segment on Tobacco Control and Global Climate Action at the eighth session of the Conference of Parties (COP8) marked the new attention on environmental impacts of tobacco being addressed by the 145 country delegations gathered at COP8.
Research findings on the environmental damages resulting from the global tobacco supply chain are documented in a new FCTC report, prepared in partnership with Imperial College in London and launched at the conference: Cigarette Smoking: An assessment of tobacco’s global environmental footprint
Since the FCTC came into effect in 2005, the impacts of tobacco cultivation and production on deforestation and use of scarce arable land, along with the harmful effects of pesticides used on tobacco farms, have been largely overlooked in national strategies for tobacco control.
“The negative effects of tobacco use on the environment has been a less understood aspect of tobacco control,” said Preeti Sudan, COP8 President and Secretary of India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, stressing the critical need to link tobacco control with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Several countries have passed comprehensive legislation and regulations to control tobacco use and sales – including strict packaging regulations on tobacco products, bans on cigarette advertising, and creation of smoke-free public places. But only a few of the 181 Parties to the Convention have implemented provisions of the treaty that are linked to the environment.
Discussions at COP8 aim to widen the scope of tobacco control efforts to include strategies to address two key articles of the treaty focused on environmental and development concerns: Article 17- promoting economically viable alternatives for tobacco workers and farmers; and Article 18 - protecting the environment and public health with respect to tobacco cultivation and manufacturing.
“The clearing of forests to make way for tobacco planting is a concern we must address,” said Ghana Deputy Minister for Health Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah. “To achieve sustainable development targets, we must highlight and champion advocacy for the environment.”
Ms. Mensah noted that while Ghana is not a large tobacco producer, her government is working to promote alternative livelihoods for tobacco farmers and climate resilience in national development strategies. These efforts have included workshops focused on implementation of Articles 17 and 18.
WHO Deputy Director-General for Programmes, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, emphasized the central role of promoting public health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She noted the harmful impacts associated with the tobacco ‘life cycle’ – from production, to disposal of by-products, to the health hazards faced by tobacco farmers as a result of pesticide use.
“Tobacco control strategies must promote actions that are good both for the environment and for tobacco farmers,” said Dr. Swaminathan.
In the Netherlands, national strategies for tobacco control are focused on promoting a ‘smoke-free generation’ by 2040, said Paul Blokhuis, Netherlands State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sports.
“Cigarettes poison both people and the environment. Smoking produces trillions of cigarette butts – 4.5 trillion butts per year,” said Mr. Blokhuis. “We must increase awareness among the public, political leaders, and tobacco producers that tobacco control and the environment are not separate issues.”
Looking ahead to the coming global climate talks in Poland in December, UNFCCC Manager of Adaptation Programmes Paul Desanker, said the UN COP24 Climate Change Conference would emphasize that tackling climate change must be linked to sustainable development targets.
“Tobacco production contributes to deforestation and utilizes significant amounts of water. As the climate warms, availability of land and water resources for food security will become an increasing concern,” said Mr. Desanker. “We must actively explore ways to support the joint objectives of the two global treaties on climate change and tobacco control.”