World No Tobacco Day is observed on May 31 every year to create awareness of the dangers of smoking, tobacco companies' and their business practices. As per the United Nations, consumption of tobacco kills more than 8 million people every year. Not just this, it causes huge damage to our environment, including damaging forests, polluting air and affecting water supplies.

The World Health Organisation released figures according to which six hundred million&nbsp;trees are&nbsp;chopped, 22 billion&nbsp;tonnes of water are used in making cigarettes, and 84 million&nbsp;tonnes of CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere raised global temperatures. The organisation further highlighted a briefing about the implications.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/switzerland-long-a-safe-haven-for-tobacco-ads-weighs-a-ban-452502">Switzerland, long a safe haven for tobacco ads, weighs a ban</a>

Theme

This year’s theme for World No Tobacco Day 2022 is "Tobacco: A Threat to our Environment." The campaign’s motive is to raise public awareness of tobacco’s severe environmental impacts, including its manufacturing, distribution and waste. Nearly 3.5 million hectares of land are destroyed every year to grow tobacco.

The campaign also aims to&nbsp;call for action, mainly focusing on youth to help them with pushing effective policies against tobacco industries holding them accountable for the environmental harm caused so that it can later be avoided.

How is health affected by tobacco’s environmental impact?

A farmer, who plants tobacco might inhale nicotine the same way as 50 cigarettes per day. Furthermore, Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS) is a type of nicotine that affects one out of every four&nbsp;producers.

These tobacco producers might also have higher levels of aluminium and arsenic in their blood due to pesticides, which if chronic, might lead to blood disease, neurological disorders, birth deformities, and many more.

Children who work at tobacco farms have higher chances of developing kidney disease during their early ages and have higher chances of smoking rates.

Women who work on farms can be adversely affected as they can face high risks of infertility or reproductive issues.

Watch |&nbsp;56% of people in Switzerland vote to ban Tobacco advertisements

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What is WHO’s response?

The human and economic cost of tobacco is staggering but can be prevented if the right actions are taken.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was adopted by WHO member states in the year 2003. This has been in force since 2005 and has 182 parties covering nearly 90 per cent of the global population.

In 2007, MPOWER was launched by WHO as a practical approach to scale up the enforcement of the requirement of FCTC for the reduction measures on the ground. MPOWER stands for&nbsp;Monitoring tobacco's use, protecting from using it, offering a help to quit it, warning about its dangers, enforcing ban on promotion of tobacco and raising taxes on it.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ancient-north-americans-used-tobacco-over-12000-years-ago-says-study-420073">Ancient North Americans used tobacco over 12,000 years ago, says study</a>

The WHO’s "No Tobacco Unit" (TFI) recently launched two online courses on tobacco product regulation on OpenWHO. Product regulation in general terms means knowing the contents (in) and emissions (out) of tobacco products.

Policymakers, regulators, health authorities, or anyone interested in tobacco product regulation will benefit from these courses.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

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(With inputs from agencies)

World No Tobacco Day is observed on May 31 every year to create awareness of the dangers of smoking, tobacco companies' and their business practices. As per the United Nations, consumption of tobacco kills more than 8 million people every year.

World No Tobacco Day is observed on May 31 every year to create awareness of the dangers of smoking, tobacco companies' and their business practices. As per the United Nations, consumption of tobacco kills more than 8 million people every year. Not just this, it causes huge damage to our environment, including damaging forests, polluting air and affecting water supplies. The World Health Organisation released figures according to which six hundred million trees are chopped, 22 billion tonnes of water are used in making cigarettes, and 84 million tonnes of CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere raised global temperatures. The organisation further highlighted a briefing about the implications. Also read | Switzerland, long a safe haven for tobacco ads, weighs a ban Theme This year’s theme for World No Tobacco Day 2022 is "Tobacco: A Threat to our Environment." The campaign’s motive is to raise public awareness of tobacco’s severe environmental impacts, including its manufacturing, distribution and waste. Nearly 3.5 million hectares of land are destroyed every year to grow tobacco. The campaign also aims to call for action, mainly focusing on youth to help them with pushing effective policies against tobacco industries holding them accountable for the environmental harm caused so that it can later be avoided. How is health affected by tobacco’s environmental impact? A farmer, who plants tobacco might inhale nicotine the same way as 50 cigarettes per day. Furthermore, Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS) is a type of nicotine that affects one out of every four producers. These tobacco producers might also have higher levels of aluminium and arsenic in their blood due to pesticides, which if chronic, might lead to blood disease, neurological disorders, birth deformities, and many more. Children who work at tobacco farms have higher chances of developing kidney disease during their early ages and have higher chances of smoking rates. Women who work on farms can be adversely affected as they can face high risks of infertility or reproductive issues. Watch | 56% of people in Switzerland vote to ban Tobacco advertisements What is WHO’s response? The human and economic cost of tobacco is staggering but can be prevented if the right actions are taken. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was adopted by WHO member states in the year 2003. This has been in force since 2005 and has 182 parties covering nearly 90 per cent of the global population. In 2007, MPOWER was launched by WHO as a practical approach to scale up the enforcement of the requirement of FCTC for the reduction measures on the ground. MPOWER stands for Monitoring tobacco's use, protecting from using it, offering a help to quit it, warning about its dangers, enforcing ban on promotion of tobacco and raising taxes on it. Also read | Ancient North Americans used tobacco over 12,000 years ago, says study The WHO’s "No Tobacco Unit" (TFI) recently launched two online courses on tobacco product regulation on OpenWHO. Product regulation in general terms means knowing the contents (in) and emissions (out) of tobacco products. Policymakers, regulators, health authorities, or anyone interested in tobacco product regulation will benefit from these courses. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. (With inputs from agencies)

World No Tobacco Day 2022: 'A threat to environment'

Nearly 80 per cent of the over one billion tobacco smokers globally live in low-and-middle income countries like India, WHO said today and asserted that policies to control its use, including taxation and price increase, can generate revenues for health care and development work.

According to a new landmark global report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Cancer Institute of the USA, published in &#39;the economics of tobacco and tobacco control&#39;, around 6 million people die annually as a result of tobacco use, with most of them living in developing countries.

&quot;Policies to control tobacco use, including tobacco tax and price increases, can generate significant government revenues for health and development work. Such measures can also greatly reduce tobacco use and protect people&#39;s health from the world&#39;s leading killers, such as cancers and heart disease,&quot; the report said.

Left unchecked, the tobacco industry and the deadly impact of its products cost the world&#39;s economies more than USD 1 trillion annually in health care expenditures and lost productivity, it said.

The almost 700-page report examines existing evidence on two broad areas ? the economics of tobacco control, including tobacco use and growing, manufacturing and trade, taxes and prices, control policies and other interventions to reduce tobacco use and its consequences and the economic implications of global tobacco control efforts.

&quot;Globally, there are 1.1 billion tobacco smokers aged 15 or older, with around 80 per cent living in low- and middle-income countries. Approximately 226 million smokers live in poverty,&quot; it said.

The monograph, citing a 2016 study, states that annual excise revenues from cigarettes globally could increase by 47 per cent or USD 140 billion, if all countries raised excise taxes by about USD 0.80 per pack.

Additionally, this tax increase would raise cigarette retail prices on average by 42 per cent, leading to a 9 per cent decline in smoking rates and up to 66 million fewer adult smokers, it said.

&quot;The global health and economic burden of tobacco use is enormous and is increasingly borne by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Around 80 per cent of the world&#39;s smokers live in LMICs,&quot; it said. India has been classified under &#39;lower-middle income country/South Asia&#39; by the World Bank.

India has implemented, from April 2016, large pictorial health warnings occupying 85 per cent of the principal display area of tobacco packs and on all forms of tobacco. India is third among countries with the largest pictorial warning on tobacco products, according to a recent report.

WHO said that the market power of tobacco companies has increased in recent years, creating new challenges for tobacco control efforts.

&quot;As of 2014, five tobacco companies accounted for 85 per cent of the global cigarette market. Policies aimed at limiting the market power of tobacco companies are largely untested but hold promise for reducing tobacco use,&quot; it said.

The report said that effective policy and programmatic interventions exist to reduce demand for tobacco products and the death, disease, and economic costs resulting from their use, but these interventions are &quot;underused&quot;.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) provides an evidence-based framework for government action to reduce tobacco use.

&quot;The economic impact of tobacco on countries, and the general public, is huge, as this new report shows. The tobacco industry produces and markets products that kill millions of people prematurely, rob households of finances that could have been used for food and education, and impose immense health care costs on families, communities and countries,&quot; said Oleg Chestnov, WHO&#39;s Assistant Director-General for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health.

Noting that demand reduction policies and programmes for tobacco products are highly cost-effective, it said that such interventions include significant tobacco tax and price increases, ban on tobacco industry marketing activities, prominent pictorial health warning labels, smoke-free policies and population-wide tobacco cessation programmes to help people stop smoking.

In 2013-2014, global tobacco excise taxes generated nearly USD 269 billion in government revenues. Of this, less than USD 1 billion was invested in tobacco control, WHO said.

&quot;Progress is being made in controlling the global tobacco epidemic, but concerted efforts are needed to ensure progress is maintained or accelerated.

&quot;In most regions, tobacco use prevalence is stagnant or falling. But increasing tobacco use in some regions, and the potential for increase in others, threatens to undermine global progress in tobacco control,&quot; it said.

(PTI)

Around 6 million people die annually as a result of tobacco use, with most of them living in developing countries, the WHO report said

Nearly 80 per cent of the over one billion tobacco smokers globally live in low-and-middle income countries like India, WHO said today and asserted that policies to control its use, including taxation and price increase, can generate revenues for health care and development work. According to a new landmark global report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Cancer Institute of the USA, published in 'the economics of tobacco and tobacco control', around 6 million people die annually as a result of tobacco use, with most of them living in developing countries. "Policies to control tobacco use, including tobacco tax and price increases, can generate significant government revenues for health and development work. Such measures can also greatly reduce tobacco use and protect people's health from the world's leading killers, such as cancers and heart disease," the report said. Left unchecked, the tobacco industry and the deadly impact of its products cost the world's economies more than USD 1 trillion annually in health care expenditures and lost productivity, it said. The almost 700-page report examines existing evidence on two broad areas ? the economics of tobacco control, including tobacco use and growing, manufacturing and trade, taxes and prices, control policies and other interventions to reduce tobacco use and its consequences and the economic implications of global tobacco control efforts. "Globally, there are 1.1 billion tobacco smokers aged 15 or older, with around 80 per cent living in low- and middle-income countries. Approximately 226 million smokers live in poverty," it said. The monograph, citing a 2016 study, states that annual excise revenues from cigarettes globally could increase by 47 per cent or USD 140 billion, if all countries raised excise taxes by about USD 0.80 per pack. Additionally, this tax increase would raise cigarette retail prices on average by 42 per cent, leading to a 9 per cent decline in smoking rates and up to 66 million fewer adult smokers, it said. "The global health and economic burden of tobacco use is enormous and is increasingly borne by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Around 80 per cent of the world's smokers live in LMICs," it said. India has been classified under 'lower-middle income country/South Asia' by the World Bank. India has implemented, from April 2016, large pictorial health warnings occupying 85 per cent of the principal display area of tobacco packs and on all forms of tobacco. India is third among countries with the largest pictorial warning on tobacco products, according to a recent report. WHO said that the market power of tobacco companies has increased in recent years, creating new challenges for tobacco control efforts. "As of 2014, five tobacco companies accounted for 85 per cent of the global cigarette market. Policies aimed at limiting the market power of tobacco companies are largely untested but hold promise for reducing tobacco use," it said. The report said that effective policy and programmatic interventions exist to reduce demand for tobacco products and the death, disease, and economic costs resulting from their use, but these interventions are "underused". The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) provides an evidence-based framework for government action to reduce tobacco use. "The economic impact of tobacco on countries, and the general public, is huge, as this new report shows. The tobacco industry produces and markets products that kill millions of people prematurely, rob households of finances that could have been used for food and education, and impose immense health care costs on families, communities and countries," said Oleg Chestnov, WHO's Assistant Director-General for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. Noting that demand reduction policies and programmes for tobacco products are highly cost-effective, it said that such interventions include significant tobacco tax and price increases, ban on tobacco industry marketing activities, prominent pictorial health warning labels, smoke-free policies and population-wide tobacco cessation programmes to help people stop smoking. In 2013-2014, global tobacco excise taxes generated nearly USD 269 billion in government revenues. Of this, less than USD 1 billion was invested in tobacco control, WHO said. "Progress is being made in controlling the global tobacco epidemic, but concerted efforts are needed to ensure progress is maintained or accelerated. "In most regions, tobacco use prevalence is stagnant or falling. But increasing tobacco use in some regions, and the potential for increase in others, threatens to undermine global progress in tobacco control," it said. (PTI)

80% of all smokers live in low-and-middle income countries: WHO

&quot;I was looking out of the aeroplane window and I thought it was cloudy at first and when we approached the ground I thought maybe it&#39;s misty,&quot; said Martin Jeppsson, a Swedish delegate who has arrived in Delhi-NCR for the seventh edition of Conference of Parties (COP7) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). &quot;Then I realised it&#39;s probably not mist at all, it&#39;s probably smog. Once I stepped out of the plane I understood what it was,&quot; said Jeppsson, breathing in the air of one of the world&#39;s most polluted cities. Jeppsson was, however, seen without what has become in Delhi the ubiquitous pollution mask. 
&nbsp; 
As many as 1,500 health policy makers and experts from 180 countries have gathered in the National Capital Region of Greater Noida to discuss tobacco control and clean air at the biggest global platform for a&nbsp;framework on tobacco regulation. While the delegates discussed ways to curb tobacco-induced pollution, the air outside the venue was toxic with pollutants. Just a day before the tobacco meet began, Delhi had its most polluted day of the season on Sunday. As part of the emergency measures taken by the state government, schools in the capital have been closed down for three days. 
 
&quot;It was certainly a matter of shame for us to invite our guests in such hazardous atmosphere,&quot; said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, oncologist at Mumbai&#39;s Tata Memorial Hospital who is part of the Indian delegation. But Jeppsson flips the coin and sees the brighter side. He believes this is the right chance to come up with solutions for clean air. &quot;It&#39;s a good thing that the international community is here now because we can see how air pollution damages the health and it would bring greater attention to the importance of air quality across the world,&quot; he said. &quot;Something good can come out of it.&quot; 
&nbsp; 
At COP7, the Indian delegation will stress the need to regulate smokeless tobacco use. According to a 2014 report by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 80 per cent&nbsp;of smokeless tobacco users are in India and Bangladesh.&nbsp;&quot;Tobacco smoke is a confirmed cancer causing agent and it is a source of indoor pollution. Outdoor pollution will require many people to smoke,&quot; said Dr Chaturvedi.

(WION)

The seventh edition of the Conference of Parties to the WHO framework convention on tobacco control is in session

"I was looking out of the aeroplane window and I thought it was cloudy at first and when we approached the ground I thought maybe it's misty," said Martin Jeppsson, a Swedish delegate who has arrived in Delhi-NCR for the seventh edition of Conference of Parties (COP7) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). "Then I realised it's probably not mist at all, it's probably smog. Once I stepped out of the plane I understood what it was," said Jeppsson, breathing in the air of one of the world's most polluted cities. Jeppsson was, however, seen without what has become in Delhi the ubiquitous pollution mask. As many as 1,500 health policy makers and experts from 180 countries have gathered in the National Capital Region of Greater Noida to discuss tobacco control and clean air at the biggest global platform for a framework on tobacco regulation. While the delegates discussed ways to curb tobacco-induced pollution, the air outside the venue was toxic with pollutants. Just a day before the tobacco meet began, Delhi had its most polluted day of the season on Sunday. As part of the emergency measures taken by the state government, schools in the capital have been closed down for three days. "It was certainly a matter of shame for us to invite our guests in such hazardous atmosphere," said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, oncologist at Mumbai's Tata Memorial Hospital who is part of the Indian delegation. But Jeppsson flips the coin and sees the brighter side. He believes this is the right chance to come up with solutions for clean air. "It's a good thing that the international community is here now because we can see how air pollution damages the health and it would bring greater attention to the importance of air quality across the world," he said. "Something good can come out of it." At COP7, the Indian delegation will stress the need to regulate smokeless tobacco use. According to a 2014 report by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 80 per cent of smokeless tobacco users are in India and Bangladesh. "Tobacco smoke is a confirmed cancer causing agent and it is a source of indoor pollution. Outdoor pollution will require many people to smoke," said Dr Chaturvedi. (WION)

In smog-covered Delhi, global experts discuss tobacco control

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