Quit Smoking to Save the Earth?
There are 1.25 billion habitual smokers worldwide, meaning that on average, one in every five adults is a smoker. In Hong Kong, although the government has been implementing smoking control policies for many years and the percentage of smokers has dropped to 9.5%, there remain 580,000 smokers in its population. The health hazards of smoking are well-known, but the dangers of cigarettes go beyond just health. Their production, sale, and disposal also cause harm to the Earth's environment in many ways, endangering the health of our planet!
Globally, cigarette production consumes 22 billion cubic metres of freshwater every year. To understand the immensity of this amount of water consumption, one only has to compare it to the total water usage of Hong Kong. According to the Water Supplies Department, Hong Kong's total annual water consumption for 2023 - 2024 is 1,064 million cubic metres. Assuming that Hong Kong maintains this level of water consumption, the water used for cigarette production in one year will be able to sustain Hong Kong for 20 years, which is rather astonishing.
Furthermore, several beach clean-up organisations have pointed out that in marine litter, cigarette butts are among the most common seen. Cigarette butts discarded carelessly may be carried by rainwater into storm drains. Due to their small size, they can easily enter the ocean through drainage systems. Most cigarette butts are made of synthetic fibres to filter tar from cigarettes. These synthetic fibres do not decompose naturally, and after being submerged in the ocean for prolonged periods of time, they break down into countless microplastics. Marine organisms may unknowingly ingest these microplastics, and when we in turn consume these organisms, these microplastics enter our bodies as well.
Depletion of Fertile Land and Forests
Tobacco is the primary raw material in cigarettes. According to United Nations statistics, tobacco is now cultivated in 124 countries, occupying a total of 3 million hectares of land - fertile land that could otherwise be used to produce food.
As tobacco requires a significant amount of nutrients to grow, its cultivation depletes the soil over time, rendering it barren and unsuitable for growing food or other cash crops. As a result, tobacco cultivation requires the continual development of new fertile lands. At the same time, the production process of drying tobacco leaves requires burning large amounts of wood, which leads to the deforestation of 200,000 hectares of forest each year - an area equivalent to 1.8 times the size of Hong Kong. It is estimated that for every 15 packs of cigarettes (equivalent to 300 cigarettes) sold, one tree is felled.
Different greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, are also emitted in each phase of a cigarette’s life cycle. Carbon dioxide alone accounts for 80 million tonnes of emission annually from cigarette production and sales, equivalent to a yearly emission of 17 million gasoline-powered cars. On average, each cigarette results in the emission of 14 grams of carbon dioxide.
Emerging Tobacco Products - No Less Harmful
Heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes that have gained popularity in recent years are no less harmful to the environment. Heated tobacco products utilise electronic heating devices to ignite the tobacco, generating electronic waste that is even more damaging to the environment. E-cigarettes, on the other hand, use electronic heating devices to heat e-liquids, which have been synthesised from various chemicals. The pollution and resource consumption that occur in the process of producing these e-liquids are no less than those from traditional cigarette production.
Cigarettes are harmful not only to smokers themselves, but also to those around them and to the environment. For the sake of yourself, others, and future generations who deserve to enjoy the Earth's resources sustainably as we do, do quit smoking now!