The UN’s World Health Organization says tobacco use is not only killing about seven million people a year, it also has a devastating impact on the environment and on sustainable development.

A report issued today says production of six trillion cigarettes a year requires substantial land use, water consumption, pesticides and labour. It adds that harmful impacts include deforestation leading to climate change; water and soil depletion; human toxicity; and acidification. That is said to hurt the planet more than the mass production of food crops.

Curing tobacco leaves can require the use of coal or wood contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation, says the report. (iStock)

Developing countries used, rich countries profit

In addition, a news release says almost 90 per cent of all tobacco growing is concentrated in developing countries which greatly need to put their resources to better use. At the same time, most of the profits from the tobacco industry end up in developed countries. Child labour is said to be a major issue in tobacco production.

The report calls for  a range of actions to address the issues. These include collecting more data, encouraging sustainable investment, ensuring the environmental cost of tobacco is included in the price and that industry takes responsibility for the whole life cycle of its products. It adds that tobacco farmers should get assistance to switch to alternative crops.