I cannot think of a better way and reason to quit smoking than to study the GOOD that even one cigarette-quitter can create for the environment, nature, and mother earth. Perhaps that could be a more meaningful sacrifice and greater motivation to look beyond self for those who are really having a hard time quitting.
As I was walking along the beach in my beloved Senegal, West Africa,after a two- year absence, I was more appalled than ever at the progressive degradation of the environment through cigarette litter. Yes, cigarettes are the most common world litter on earth closely rivalling plastic. 3 million cigarette butts are tossed every minute in China! I will let you do the math for the 1.2 billion smokers worldwide. There is plenty of alien material there for SCI FI adepts.
I don’t need tons of research to observe the irreversible pollution created by nations of smokers.But it will take a huge wake up call and education campaigns to inform smokers WORLWIDE about the effect each one is having when he casually puts out a cigarette in the sand or on a sidewalk and walks away from that cigarette litter. By banning indoor public smoking without educating, or simply providing public ashtrrys, societies have generated NEW problems with the increase of stubs left in parks, on nature trails, beaches and parking lots. The plastic component contained in the cigarette filters(cellulose acetate) and the tobacco remnants take decades to degrade.
So when you do throw away the habit, –because I have faith you will–you are being compassionate towards the earth and all its living beings; you are REALLY contributing to the preservation of the beauty and health of your home: Planet Earth. Thanks in advance for trying again and this time triumphing.This Earth will love you more for it, I promise.