Big tobacco leaves huge ecological footprint - WHO

GENEVA, (Reuters) - Tobacco growing causes “massive harm” to the environment through extensive use of chemicals, energy and water, and pollution from manufacturing and distribution, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday.

The United Nations agency called for the tobacco industry to compensate for its products that contribute to greenhouse gases blamed for climate change, but gave no estimate of damage.

The ecological footprint goes far beyond the effects of cigarette smoke, the WHO said in its first report on tobacco’s impact on the environment. “From start to finish, the tobacco life cycle is an overwhelmingly polluting and damaging process.”

“We’ve not estimated the full economic impact of what’s happening to the environment, that will require more studies,” Vinayak Prasad, WHO tobacco control coordinator, told a news briefing.

Tobacco use kills 7 million people a year, according to the WHO, which marks World No Tobacco Day on Wednesday.

It drew up a landmark treaty in 2005, now ratified by 179 countries, that calls for a ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, and taxes to discourage use.

Tobacco plants require large quantities of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and fumigants to control pest or disease outbreaks.

“Many of these chemicals are so harmful to both the environment and farmers’ health that they are banned in some countries,” the report said.