Detrimental Effects of Tobacco
Written by Deul Choi
The practice of smoking tobacco has permeated the norms of society, gaining widespread popularity as a global activity. It is a well-established fact that use of tobacco poses significant health risks to individuals. However, it is equally pernicious to the health of our planet in a multitude of different ways.
Tobacco growing on recently cleared forest land in Bulindi, in the Hoima District of western Uganda. Throughout this region, unprotected riverine forests inhabited by chimpanzees are being cleared to make way for tobacco cash-cropping (McLennan 2008).
To start, the tobacco production industry is a lucrative market, characterized by substantial profits and a primary focus on production. The operation of cultivation and curing tobacco are both resource heavy, labor intensive, and environmentally destructive. The magnitude of land that tobacco production encompasses contributes to deforestation on an increasing scale. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 200,00 hectares of land are cleared just annually for tobacco agriculture and curing, which is equivalent to half the land area of Cape Verde, around 403,000 ha (WHO).
Furthermore, tobacco cultivation itself tolls farmland, degrading soil quality and causing harm to the surrounding vegetation. A recent research from 2021 highlights the harmful impact of long-term tobacco cultivation in Brazil, that resulted in an increase in soil erodibility and degradation (Ubath). Thus, tobacco production not only destroys vast quantities of forest and vegetation, but it also contaminates soil with its toxic chemical properties. This thirdhand smoke filled with harmful compounds threatens the well-being of animals and humans, polluting the environment and abusing the well-being of nearby organisms.
It becomes essential to stay environmentally aware of the detrimental effects of tobacco use, and work collectively with fellow community members in order to reduce the production, demand, and consumption of tobacco. By curtailing or halting these practices, we can address issues that tobacco use entails, such as deforestation, soil degradation, air pollution, and soil erodibility. These critical challenges have only escalated over time and its unchecked progression will only ensure biodiversity loss, spread pollution of air and land, and destroy existing global ecosystems.
Taken by Deul Choi
In light of these environmental concerns, it is imperative to reduce the production, demand, and consumption of tobacco as part of our efforts to safeguard our planet. By curtailing or halting these practices, we can address issues such as deforestation and soil degradation, critical challenges that have escalated over time. The unchecked progression of these problems will only exacerbate biodiversity loss, elevate global temperatures, and disrupt the delicate natural systems of our planet.
Sources:
https://tobaccotactics.org/article/tobacco-and-the-environment/
https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/infographics/tobacco/tobacco-lifecycle.html
