Sounding the Smoke Alarm: The Tobacco Industry, Global Health, and the Climate Catastrophe
The interests of the tobacco industry are irreconcilable with tobacco control, public health and the need for urgent action on climate change. But policymakers can take action.
By Linda Bùi
Over the last few decades, the negative health and climate impacts of the tobacco industry (the industry) have become more pronounced. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates tobacco use will result in 8 million deaths annually by 2030. Since 2005, states have unanimously adopted the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and endgame strategies with a commitment to advance commercial tobacco control through legislation and programs.
Despite these efforts, the global value of the industry is expected to exceed $888 billion USD by 2025. Through innovations, the industry continues to expand its market share through new products, such as e-cigarettes and vape products. As some jurisdictions–namely states in the Global North–have introduced new legislation to regulate the harms of these new products, the industry has begun to shift its operations and consumer focus to locations where policies are laxer, such as the Global South. As such, the industry’s presence in the Global South has the potential to place significant burdens on healthcare systems and services, due to a greater population risk of developing cancers and diseases.
These health and material impacts are uneven, with disproportionate harm felt by plantation workers and vulnerable communities, including Indigenous communities. Agricultural lands are often diverted towards tobacco production, a practice that has colonial roots: tobacco was developed as a plantation crop, mass-produced, distributed and modified from appropriating sacred tobacco for commercial tobacco products.
The calls to action for the global health community and governments are clear. Policy actions should advance the FCTC and de-normalize the industry by targeting the demand and supply sides of the industry. To target the demand side, best practices can be replicated from jurisdictions that have successfully implemented policies resulting in declining tobacco sales. To target the supply side, governments can regulate the industry further to meet stronger health and safety standards, in addition to centering Indigenous leadership to redress the colonial legacies.
The Tobacco Industry and the Global Health Crisis
The industry is one of the world’s few sectors with a social license to inflict harm. Noncommunicable diseases make up seven of the world's top ten causes of death, and tobacco use poses a significant risk factor for many of these diseases, such as heart and lung disease and cancer. Tobacco control measures have been slow to be introduced globally. For instance, according to a WHO 2021 progress report, only 13% of the global population resides in a state where there is taxation, a proven tobacco control measure, on at least 75% of the retail price of cigarettes. Nevertheless, the industry positions itself as a socially responsible and strategic partner for public health entities. Meanwhile, the industry continues to fund research and development of new products, such as vapes and e-cigarettes, in its efforts to expand its market as the use of traditional cigarettes declines in many parts of the world.
The health concerns of tobacco are not limited to users but also those who work in the tobacco fields. The industry outsources its production to jurisdictions with less stringent work safety policies in the Global South. Many workers on commercial tobacco farms often do not have access to personal protective equipment and are susceptible to green tobacco sickness, a condition that can lead to life-threatening low blood pressure as a result of the absorption of nicotine from direct skin contact with tobacco leaves.
The industry also targets its commercial tobacco products to vulnerable communities, including Indigenous communities, which disrupts ceremonial practices and relationships with ceremonial tobacco. Sacred tobacco has been used since time immemorial by many Indigenous nations prior to colonial contact. With the introduction of commercial tobacco, nicotine dependencies among Indigenous communities have led to other health implications, and Indigenous communities experience disproportionate nicotine addictions compared to general population levels. On average, more than 50% of Indigenous peoples in North America report using cigarettes.
The Tobacco Industry and the Climate Catastrophe
While tobacco crops account for less than 1% of agricultural land use globally, they account for 2-4% of global deforestation. The industry is one of the largest contributors to widespread deforestation, land degradation and carbon emissions in the world, especially in the Global South.
As monocultures, tobacco crops require energy-intensive chemical inputs, which threaten natural wildlife and biodiversity. Monocrops leave plant soil at greater risk of disease and pests, leading farmers to use more harmful chemicals like pesticides. This destructive cycle makes land used for tobacco crops vulnerable to desertification, and formerly fertile lands can no longer be used for food production.
The diversion of land use from communities is also problematic given the industry’s incredible influence on agricultural policies. While proponents of tobacco farming have favoured economic arguments–such that it can sustain livelihoods through income generation or that tobacco is a low-risk crop commodity–the realities are much more stark. It has been found that other crops, such as bamboo, for instance, yield greater income generation while contributing to positive climate outcomes with intercropping. Maintaining tobacco farming has limited macroeconomic benefits, as the industry’s share of GDP is a meager 2.9%, according to data from 13 producing countries.
Action for Policymakers
The interests of the industry are irreconcilable with tobacco control, public health and the need for urgent action on climate change. The industry is a driver of multiple crises, from global health to environmental degradation. Governments must protect the implementation of their tobacco control policies, as mandated by the WHO FCTC, from the interests of the tobacco industry. Fortunately, there are policies that nation-states can adopt:
Enacting harmonizing policies, such as placing a moratorium on the industry from introducing new products with nicotine content and marketing them as “alternatives” to traditional commercial tobacco products. While vapes and e-cigarettes were introduced as a form of harm reduction and cessation products to traditional commercial tobacco products, they have had the opposite effect as products have attracted new users. This ban should also be introduced in tandem with other best practices, such as the implementation of plain packaging, bans on added ingredients used to enhance tobacco products such as menthol, and restrictions on the tobacco industry's ability to partake in corporate social responsibility initiatives. These are a few examples shown to be effective at regulating the industry. By targeting the supply chain across governments globally, the industry can be further regulated to achieve WHO’s FCTC goals.
Centering Indigenous-led leadership in community-led responses and research in tobacco control policy-making. While there is a growing recognition of the importance of including Indigenous perspectives in policy-making, nation stations and intergovernmental organizations can work to mainstream them. Indigenous scholars and leaders have noted the importance of revitalizing ceremonial tobacco as a means of reducing commercial tobacco use. Indigenous-led health programs, including smoking cessation programs, are most effective in reducing commercial tobacco use and rates as they are culturally appropriate to community members. In addition, Indigenous peoples are original stewards of biodiverse lands and are key to restoring commercial tobacco farm lands for biodiversity and agricultural purposes. Moreover, there is a literature gap on Indigenous communities in the Global South’s understanding and practice in tobacco control, demonstrating a need for further research in this area.
The WHO’s FCTC’s tobacco endgame strategies need to continue to build opportunities for the exchange of best practices, knowledge and tobacco control programs among states. In order for states to meet agreed-upon global goals, such as the Paris Agreement to reduce carbon emissions by 45% by 2030, carbon-intensive industries like the tobacco industry need to be a key target. More broadly, given states’ commitment to other United Nations conventions and frameworks, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, it is imperative that an exploitative industry like the tobacco industry be held to a greater account should the global community seek to eliminate its harms.
Linda Bùi (she/her) is a Master of Public Policy candidate and McCall MacBain Scholar at McGill University. Passionate about health equity and climate change, she has previously worked on tobacco control, health promotion and environmental campaigns with the Ontario Lung Association, Peel Public Health and Climate Justice Peel. She can be found at @lindahuyenbui on Twitter.