Smoking is harmful to health. In 2019, the mainland formulated and issued the "Healthy China Action (2019-2030)", and specially established a Healthy China Action Promotion Committee to be responsible for overall promotion. The plan establishes 15 major actions, of which the "Tobacco Control Initiative" is one.
5 June 2023 marks the 50th World Environment Day. It has long been recognized that tobacco control is extremely closely linked to the environment and that its impact on public health and sustainable development is critical. Recently, at a seminar on "Environmental Protection and Tobacco Control, Helping to Achieve the 'Dual Carbon' Goal and Win-win Health Situation", an expert who has long promoted smoking cessation activities for adolescents mentioned: "In addition to the traditional goal of protecting public health, we do see that tobacco control can break the cycle of poverty, help eradicate hunger, promote sustainable agricultural development and economic growth, and have a positive impact on climate change." ”
Global tobacco cultivation generates more than 2 million tonnes of solid waste each year
China is the world's largest tobacco producer and tobacco consumer. The Beijing News reporter learned from the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (hereinafter referred to as "China Green Development Council") that at present, the total number of people facing serious food shortages in 79 countries is as high as 349 million. Another common denominator among these countries is that tobacco is grown over large tracts of fertile soil instead of growing food.
The theme of the 2023 World No Tobacco Day global campaign is "Growing food, not tobacco", focusing on the tobacco industry's disruption to tobacco alternative cultivation efforts and the impact on the global food crisis.
According to Ma Yong, deputy secretary-general of the China Green Development Council, about 80% of premature deaths caused by tobacco in the world occur in low- or middle-income countries. Global tobacco cultivation currently occupies 4.3 million hectares of land, which also contributes to a deforestation rate of more than 2% and generates more than 2 million tons of solid waste each year.
On May 31, local time, in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, teenagers held placards to participate in the rally, calling for a ban on smoking. Photo/The Paper/IC photo
Tobacco cultivation has an impact on the soil in the first place. Tobacco farming is a resource-intensive industry that requires the intensive use of pesticides and fertilizers, leading to soil degradation. Tobacco depletes soil fertility and has less capacity to regrow other crops, such as food crops, on land used to grow tobacco. At the same time, tobacco cultivation requires a lot of water, and chemicals enter the water and contaminate lakes, rivers and drinking water. The toxic substances contained in cigarette butt garbage can also pollute water sources.
Tobacco curing requires burning wood, which has also led to the destruction of farmland and forests around the world. Wang Jing of the China Green Development Association's tobacco control working group told the Beijing News that 35 countries with severe, high and moderate tobacco-related deforestation, mainly in southern Africa, the Middle East, South and East Asia, South America and the Caribbean, all have or are experiencing environmental crises. Tobacco cultivation also contributes to the continuous loss of habitat for wildlife.
In terms of second-hand smoke polluting the indoor air environment, according to a report released by the World Health Organization in 2022, greenhouse gases continue to be emitted during tobacco production and transportation. The production and consumption of tobacco releases the equivalent of the CO2 released by driving 17 million cars each year.
In addition, cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate, which is plastic waste, which is difficult to degrade naturally and is also easy to be eaten by wild animals. Unlike other plastic waste, cigarette butts have no known recycling value, carry toxic substances, scattered and finely crushed, which also makes cigarette butt waste a "difficult disease" in environmental governance.
This year, the focus will be on youth tobacco epidemic surveillance and tobacco control interventions
This year marks the 20th year of the continent's accession to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. To help countries implement the FCTC, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched in 2007 a series of policy tools called "MPOWER", including six tobacco control strategies, specifically – Monitor: Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies; Protect: protecting people from tobacco smoke; Offer: Provide help to quit smoking; Warn: Warn: warning about the dangers of tobacco; Enforce: Ensure that tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship are prohibited; Raise: Raise the cigarette tax.
"We advocate higher tobacco taxes, and we can set up a tobacco tax similar to the 'dirty tax' according to the thinking of Southeast Asian countries." In this way, the number of smokers and young people is reduced, while ensuring that the national profits and taxes are not reduced. Cui Xiaobo, a professor at the School of Public Health of Capital Medical University, said.
On May 30, in Linyi, Shandong, teachers from Jinqueshan Primary School explained to students the dangers of smoking to the human body. Photo/IC photo
Some experts believe that the challenges of tobacco control in mainland China, in addition to the trend growth in cigarette sales, are also related to the current tobacco monopoly system. Experts said that the tobacco industry is difficult to distinguish between government and enterprise, and the tobacco production and processing industry is also a participant in the formulation and implementation of tobacco control policies and measures, which makes it difficult for "MPOWER" to play a role.
The China Green Development Council's Tobacco Control Working Group suggested that tobacco control indicators could be added to the National Ecological Civilization Construction Demonstration City and County Construction Indicators, and that the comprehensive smoke-free legislative process could continue to be promoted from the perspective of achieving the "dual carbon" goal and strengthening ecological environmental protection, such as adding tobacco control related content to the Railway Law.
At the same time, in the "improvement of living environment" section of "ecological life" of the "National Ecological Civilization Construction Demonstration City and County Construction Index", content such as "comprehensively promoting the coverage of smoke-free environment construction such as smoke-free party and government organs, smoke-free health medical institutions, and smoke-free schools" can be added.
In the past two years, "smoking cessation" and "tobacco control" have become the annual work points of the Healthy China Initiative. In 2022, a series of supporting policies such as the formulation of national standards and management measures for electronic cigarettes were included in a series of policy documents formulated and issued that year. In March 2023, the mainland officially issued the Measures for the Administration of Electronic Cigarettes, which included electronic cigarettes, atomizers, nicotine for electronic cigarettes and other new tobacco products into the scope of supervision.
This year, "organizing and doing a good job in the monitoring of the youth tobacco epidemic in 2023 and tobacco control intervention" was listed as the key work of the Healthy China Action in 2023, and will severely crack down on the illegal sale of tobacco products (including electronic cigarettes and cigarette-like products) through the Internet and the sale of tobacco products to minors, and protect minors from the harm of smoke.
It is worth noting that according to the 2023 work points of the Healthy China Action, this year the Ministry of Education, the National Health Commission, the General Administration of Sports, and the All-China Women's Federation will be responsible for the division of labor according to their responsibilities, consolidate the achievements of the construction of smoke-free party and government organs, smoke-free medical and health institutions, and smoke-free schools, advocate the construction of smoke-free families, and hold smoke-free events.
The number of tobacco shots of popular domestic film and television dramas in 2022 is less than in the previous year
The Healthy China Initiative (2019-2030) clarifies that by 2022 and 2030, the smoking prevalence of people over 15 years old will be less than 24.5% and 20% respectively.
According to the latest data from the National Health Commission, the smoking rate of people over 15 years old in mainland China dropped from 26.6% in 2018 to 25.8% in 2020. For effective tobacco control, many experts also said that it is also extremely important to strengthen publicity and promote citizen awareness.
On May 30, children at Yinghui Kindergarten in Xianju County, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, displayed a non-smoking sign. Photo/IC photo
Not long ago, the China Smoking Control Association released the monitoring results of tobacco footage of popular domestic film and television dramas in 2022. Compared with the previous year, the number and duration of smoke shots in movies and TV series in 2022 showed an overall downward trend, but the number and duration of tobacco shots in public places in movies and TV series increased.
Since 1993, the China Association for Smoking Control has monitored tobacco footage in popular film and television dramas, covering 30 films and TV series on the box office and ratings rankings of popular domestic modern film and television dramas every year, and has been continuously monitored for 15 years.
The monitoring results of film and television dramas last year showed that the number of film and television dramas with tobacco shots was still large. Among the 30 domestic films, 17 films with tobacco footage were as high, accounting for 56.7% of all films; The total number of tobacco lenses was 267, with an average of 15.7 each, and the total length of tobacco lenses was 1873 seconds, with an average of 110.2 seconds each. Among the 30 domestic TV series, 17 TV series with tobacco shots are also as high, accounting for 56.7% of the headquarters; The total number of tobacco shots was 381, with an average of 22.4 each, and the total length of tobacco shots was 2123 seconds, with an average of 124.9 seconds each.
The relevant person in charge of the association told the Beijing News reporter that the monitoring data of tobacco shots in popular domestic film and television dramas in the past 15 years shows that the number of film and television dramas with tobacco shots from 2007 to 2022 has shown an overall downward trend, but the number of film and television dramas with tobacco shots is still large. The proportion of tobacco footage in the 30 domestic films and 30 TV series monitored last year was as high as 56.7%, which is still at a high level.
The association recommends limiting and reducing unnecessary tobacco shots from different angles. At the same time, it is necessary to reject disguised tobacco advertising and sponsorship in the production process of film and television dramas, further purify film and television screens, and assume due social responsibilities for young people to stay away from tobacco and create a smoke-free environment.
Beijing News reporter Zhang Jianlin Intern Kang Jiaxi
Edited by Chen Jing Proofread by Li Lijun