An obstacle to achieving the SDGs
Tobacco cultivation continues to limit the full implementation of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an international treaty developed in response to the tobacco epidemic. From crop cultivation to cigarette disposal, the tobacco lifecycle causes damage to environmental as well as human health.
Over the last 50 years, 1.5 billion hectares of forests have been lost, causing up to 20% of annual greenhouse gas increases. 5.3 million hectares of fertile land is used to grow tobacco, contributing to the irreversible loss of trees and biodiversity. As a result of lower production costs and less stringent regulatory practices within low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), 90% of tobacco cultivation and production takes place here. Tobacco still remains the most common cash crop in LMICs due to factors such as its perceived profitability and resilience to extreme weather. However, this can be outweighed by the damaging environmental, socio-economic and health impacts caused by tobacco cultivation.
The intensity of fertilisers required for tobacco cultivation results in poor soil health. In Bangladesh, chemicals used to kill weeds found in tobacco fields were responsible for polluting aquatic environments and reducing fish supplies. In Kenya, the shift towards tobacco production has increased food insecurity, due to traditional crops like cassava, millet and sweet potato becoming scarce.
The FCTC highlights the importance of supporting farmers with economically viable alternatives to tobacco growing. Successful pilot projects have been completed in Kenya, Brazil and Uganda, demonstrating that there are suitable alternatives. Additionally, in Malaysia the government has developed kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus)—a plant used for fibre and oil—as an alternative crop, whilst farmers in Malawi are switching to sunflower and soybeans.
The negative impacts of tobacco continue at cigarette disposal. Cigarette filters are the most littered item worldwide, with 4.5 trillion cigarette butts littered each year, causing environmental waste. Discarded cigarette butts, which contain plastics, can be carried into rivers and lakes before ending up in the ocean.
This burgeoning understanding of the intersection between tobacco’s impacts on the environment, economic development and health emphasises that these sectors must work together to counteract its effects.
Tobacco must be framed as a development and not just a health issue
The activities carried out from start to end of the tobacco lifecycle clearly negatively impact the ability to achieve many SDGs including, (SDG 6) clean water and sanitation, (SDG 15) protecting life on land, (SDG 2) zero hunger and (SDG 14) conserving life below water. Since the SDGs are deeply interwoven, a multisectoral approach with particular focus on LMICs is paramount to reducing the negative impacts of tobacco. As such, it is important that moving forward we frame the issue of tobacco as a threat to our overall sustainable development, rather than solely health.
