Although we all know well that tobacco is very harmful to both health and the environment, there is still a high percentage of people who smoke in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to warn in its reports of its harmful effects and draws attention to the high numbers of victims of smoking, but how does it affect the planet? effects of tobacco on the environment? In the following EcologiaVerde article we will explain it to you.
The great damage of tobacco to the environment
The smoke from a regular cigarette can contain up to 4,000 chemicals. According to a recent Italian study, the pollution generated by tobacco is higher than diesel cars.
Pollution begins from the tobacco plant itself, since many chemicals and pesticides are used for its conservation, which are also sending harmful substances to the ozone layer. In addition, a large number of trees are required to make a cigar and the cigarette filters are not biodegradable and they end up on the ground, since many of the people who smoke in the street continue to throw their cigarette butts on the ground.
Cigarettes are also causing a large number of fires. There are, of course, forest fires, where a simple carelessness is enough to burn several hectares. Unfortunately, there is still the habit of throwing the cigarette butt out the car window. In the European Union, cigarette-related fires cause more than 30,000 fires a year (a thousand fatalities), between foresters and those that take place in homes. So much so, that attempts are being made to change safety regulations to make self-extinguishing cigars.
Thus, tobacco damage to the environment can be summarized as:
- Smoke pollution.
- Pesticides in your crop.
- The contamination of their butts.
- The fires it causes.
Reduce the environmental impact of tobacco
If you are a smoker and you are saddened by these data, without a doubt the best way is to seek help to quit smoking. There are various and very effective methods: conventional therapy, patches, anti-smoking products, hypnosis, acupuncture, self-help books, even apps for mobile phones and tablets. Most GPs will gladly recommend which method is best for you, although this task should always be accompanied by your willpower.
If you can't quit, there is something you can do, at least, to that your environmental footprint is smaller. To begin with, the more industrial the cigar, the worse it is because a manufacturing process has taken place that the planet has paid for and, in addition, it will be more harmful to health. If you are going to smoke better to do it with natural tobacco and without additives. If you smoke rolling tobacco, buy ecological and biodegradable paper and filters. Never throw a cigarette butt on the ground, save them and throw them all into a special container for it.
If you smoke at home use candles that help burn carbon monoxide. Sleeping next to an ashtray with extinguished butts is very bad for your health and for the atmosphere of your home. Many of the cigarettes that we buy in tobacconists and kiosks are made from processed tobacco that contains, in addition to nicotine and tar, a large number of chemical additives that make it even more harmful to health and to the planet. In addition, the paper used has been bleached, which makes it even more polluting, both in its production and in the final product.
If we buy it in a tobacco company specialized in tobacco without industrial processes, Tobacco - although natural - will continue to have carcinogenic substances and will continue to be addictive because it contains nicotine, which is what makes us hooked and not be able to stop smoking, but it does not contain so many chemical additives. The same happens with organic hemp paper, unbleached and unrefined, more natural and less bad. In addition, this natural tobacco of own elaboration usually costs, in the long run, cheaper.
Although not many experts recommend it, the electronic cigarette can be a first step to completely stop smoking, it expels water vapor instead of harmful substances, although it also contains nicotine. There are a series of medicinal herbs for sale in herbalists that are very effective to stop smoking, among which are hyssop, ginseng, St. John's wort, lobelia or catmint. Fortunately, today there are simple and low-cost methods to curb this vice, although the main step is to want to do it. If you have children or students who are approaching adolescence, take time to offer them a complete enough campaign to prevent them from approaching tobacco. A large percentage of people who smoke start between the ages of 16 and 25.
Countries where people smoke the most
As an anecdote, in the latest ranking published on the countries with the most cigarettes smoked per capita are:
- Serbia with 2,869 cigarettes
- Bulgaria
- Greece
- Russia
- Moldova
- Ukraine
Eastern Europe, therefore, is the world area where more is smoked. In many countries, such as the United States, large anti-tobacco campaigns have gradually reduced the number of smokers. Many people decide to quit (or better, not start) for health reasons, to have a better family life, to avoid the bad smell, but there are also those who see it as a compelling reason to put out the cigarette in order to stop polluting environment.
If you want to read more articles similar to Effects of tobacco on the environment, we recommend that you enter our Pollution category.
