Global Campaign Demands Tobacco Industry Pays For Health and Environmental Damage
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
As governments worldwide grapple with rising healthcare costs and environmental degradation, global health advocates are demanding that the tobacco industry be held financially accountable for the immense harm caused by its products.
Ahead of World Environment Day, campaigners launched the Global Week of Action to Make Big Tobacco Pay, urging governments to implement stronger measures under Article 19 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which provides for legal and financial liability of tobacco companies.
Advocates say tobacco use kills approximately eight million people annually and contributes to a range of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and tuberculosis.
Beyond its devastating health impact, the industry is estimated to cost society more than US$1.4 trillion every year in healthcare expenses and environmental clean-up efforts.
Campaign organisers noted that cigarette butts remain the world’s most littered plastic waste item, while discarded e-cigarettes continue to pollute water and soil with toxic chemicals.
Speaking at the launch, health justice advocates argued that while communities bear the burden of disease, pollution and clean-up costs, tobacco corporations continue to generate nearly US$1 trillion in annual revenue from products known to be harmful.
The campaign is calling on the 183 countries that have ratified the WHO FCTC to strengthen enforcement of Article 19 and ensure tobacco companies compensate governments and communities for the damage caused by their products.
Stakeholders highlighted ongoing efforts in Brazil, where authorities are pursuing legal action against major cigarette manufacturers to recover public healthcare costs linked to smoking-related illnesses.
Advocates also urged governments to explore litigation, environmental laws, regulations and sanctions to hold the industry accountable.
In Nigeria and several other countries, campaigners will participate in both physical and virtual activities throughout the week while promoting a global petition that has already attracted nearly 40,000 signatures.
The coalition behind the initiative insists that accountability must go beyond exposing wrongdoing and should include compensation, environmental remediation and full reimbursement of health-related costs.
The campaign, led by Corporate Accountability and supported by international civil society organisations, hopes to accelerate global action against what it describes as one of the world’s most profitable yet harmful industries.
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