In recent times, the trend of smoking among the youth is rapidly increasing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report in Pakistan, smoking contributes to around 166,000 deaths annually, of which 31,000 are caused by passive smoking. WHO predicts that this number won’t go down in upcoming years despite health caveats, quitting initiatives, and tobacco control measures. Tobacco is a menace not merely to the human body but also to the environment. The industry’s carbon footprint from the manufacture, processing, and transportation of tobacco is comparable to one-fifth of the CO2 engendered by the commercial aircraft industry each year, according to the WHO study “Tobacco: Poisoning our world,” which furthers the effects of global warming. This is a dire issue, and this matter requires attention from the respective entities.

AURANGZEB NADIR,

Balochistan.