Did you know that smoking not only harms your health but also has a big impact on our environment? Let’s explore some ways cigarettes can hurt the world around us.
- Land Use: Farm Land Diversion: Instead of growing our food, some land is used to grow tobacco for cigarettes. This land could feed up to 20 million people!
- Cigarette Butts: Every day, 200 million cigarette butts are thrown away in the UK alone! The plastic in them takes up to 12 years to break down.
- Tree Loss: Globally, 6 million trees are cut down every year just to make space for growing tobacco.
- Cleaning Costs: In Hull, about £900,000 a year is spent on cleaning the city centre. Guess what? 40% of the litter (about 400 tonnes) is related to smoking!
Deforestation
Tabacco farming leads to deforestation, where large areas of trees are cleared, harming our environment. Tabacco farming now accounts for an estimated 200,000 hectares of woodland being removed each year.
Climate Change
The process of making cigarettes can contribute to climate change by releasing lots of gases. This happens when trees are burned for heat or when gas is used to fuel burners. Clearing the trees also removed the earths natural filter, making the effects of these greenhouse gasses even more significant.
Hazardous Waste
Making tobacco uses harmful chemicals that end up in the soil and water. This can be bad for plants, animals, and even the food we eat. The disposal of tobacco slurries, solvents, oils, paper, wood, plastics, packaging materials and airborne pollution all have long term effects on our environment.
Litter Pollution
Did you know that 40% of street litter is from smoking? That’s a lot of cigarette butts, matchsticks, and packaging! It’s like dropping 122 tonnes of smoking-related litter every day across the UK.
Marine Pollution
Cigarette butts are the most common form of litter, found on 79% of surveyed sites. Some people even think it’s okay to throw them down the drain (52% of smokers who smoke every day)!