The yearly celebration of the World No-Tobacco Day informs the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what the World Health Organization (WHO) is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.

The Member States of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. In 1987, the World Health Assembly passed Resolution WHA40.38, calling for 7 April 1988 to be a “a world no-smoking day.” In 1988, Resolution WHA42.19 was passed, calling for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, every year on 31 May.

The theme for this year’s WNTD is Tobacco: Threat to our environment. On the hush tag TobaccoExposed.

“The harmful impact of the tobacco industry on the environment is vast and growing adding unnecessary pressure to our planet’s already scarce resources and fragile ecosystems.

Tobacco kills over 8 million people every year and destroys our environment, further harming human health, through the cultivation, production, distribution, consumption, and post-consumer waste.

In Ghana, the Vald, Institute of Leadership and Development (INSLA) and FYC issued a joint statement calling on government to protect the environment against tobacco pollution.

The joint CSOs statement further urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to intensify public education on the dangers of tobacco by-products poising the water, soil, beaches and street.