Today, tobacco is grown in more than 100 countries. 80 of these are developing third world countries and in many the growing of tobacco is a major environmental problem.

Here are some of the reasons why:

How tobacco is damaging the health of our world:

• Many tobacco growing countries have a big problem with deforestation. Trees are cut down to make way for tobacco fields, and to produce wood for drying tobacco leaves. Together, this represents almost 2% of global deforestation

• Nearly 5% of forests are going up in smoke thanks to tobacco cultivation in developing countries

• Growing of tobacco necessitates a vast array of toxic fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides which damage the environment. A tobacco field is sprayed several times during the growing season

• Most importantly, the growing of tobacco in developing countries reduces food production. Tobacco plantations take up space that could be used to produce food for 10 to 20 million people

How tobacco is staining our nation:

• 40% of all litter removed from our streets are cigarette stubs

• Cigarettes and matches are the most common source of ignition causing deaths from fire

So that’s what we mean by the bigger picture. Yes, by giving up you are doing yourself a huge favour. You’ve already improved your own health and quality of life. But you’ve also opted out of an industry and a habit that is harming the health of the environment at home and abroad. Ultimately, cigarettes are harming the very world we all live in.

That’s quite a thought to carry with you. By staying smoke-free you’re improving life for yourself and those around you. You also have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re no longer contributing to a poorer environment – either on your own doorstep or the other side of the world.

So STOP SMOKING NOW and make a world of difference.

Labels: deforestation, environment, environmental, tobacco