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LOS ANGELES — When Ewan McGregor first played a lightsaber-wielding Jedi hero in the much-maligned “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, he didn’t feel much love from the fans.

Initial audience excitement about returning to a galaxy far, far away in 1999’s “The Phantom Menace” was quickly doused by the prequels’ corny dialogue, arcane inter-galactic politics and Jar Jar Binks. 

But as he steps back into his role for Disney+ series “Obi-Wan Kenobi” McGregor says he has been pleasantly surprised by a major re-evaluation of the prequels, particularly among younger viewers.

“One of the difficult things about being in the prequels was that when they came out, they were not seemingly well received,” McGregor told a recent virtual press conference.

“Because there was no social media, there was no direct avenue to the fans at the time. And also, the fans were kids.”

McGregor added: “Gradually, I started realising that people really liked them, and that they meant a lot to that generation.”

“So that warmed my feelings about them, I guess, or my experience of being in the ‘Star Wars’ world”.

As a result, McGregor and Hayden Christensen — who played Anakin Skywalker — are back for a six-episode limited series, set in between the events of the prequel trilogy and the original “Star Wars”.

Taking place a decade after the tragic finale of “Revenge of the Sith”, which saw the evil Emperor seize power and turn Kenobi’s apprentice into Darth Vader, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” finds its hero leading a lonely, broken existence.

“For 10 years Obi-Wan has been in hiding, he can’t communicate with any of his old comrades, and he is living a pretty solitary life,” said McGregor.

“He’s not able to use the force. So in a way he’s lost his faith. It’s like somebody who stepped away from their religion or something.

“The only responsibility to his past life is looking over Luke Skywalker.”

Kenobi must also fend off the Inquisitors, a terrifying new set of villains charged with eradicating the remaining Jedi.

‘Feel him’

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is a product of Disney’s recent decision to pivot “Star Wars” resources from movies to television.

The wildly popular sci-fi franchise has been assigned a key role in growing streaming platform Disney+.

The most star-driven “Star Wars” show so far, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” will be closely followed by “Andor” — a prequel to movie “Rogue One” — and another season of smash hit “The Mandalorian”.

Other new “Star Wars” series in the works include “Ahsoka” and “The Acolyte”. 

But Disney decided to slow down its big-screen output after the disappointing box office performance of 2018’s “Solo”, a movie that angered some fans by recasting Harrison Ford’s Han Solo character with a younger actor.

“There should be moments along the way when you learn things,” Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy said in a recent Vanity Fair interview.

“Now it does seem so abundantly clear that we can’t do that.”

Shows such as “The Mandalorian” have instead used computer technology to de-age the original stars, or even artificially generate the appearances of actors who have passed away.

Of course, the role of Kenobi was itself first played by veteran thespian Alec Guinness in 1977’s “Star Wars” — a performance that McGregor still regularly refers back to.

“Just being closer to Alec Guinness in age [now] was interesting... my Obi-Wan now is just a bit closer to his,” said McGregor, now 51.

He added: “It all comes from Alec Guinness — Alec Guinness had this wit behind his eyes all the time.

“He had a twinkle... I always try and think of him, and try to feel him somewhere, hear him saying the lines.”

First launched in 2011 as a slightly larger but more affordable model for US and Middle East markets, the Volkswagen Passat ran concurrent with a separate European model bearing the same nameplate. Revised and updated slightly in 2016 and 2019, it has perhaps never been as appealing as now. At the end of its production run, but still listed as a current model locally, the Passat’s uncomplicated, un-pretentious and comfort-oriented character is refreshingly honest and unambiguous as many big mid-size saloon segment rivals become ever flashier and over-stated.

Understated appeal

Sleek and modern with subtly sporting styling sensibilities, including a gig grille, chiselled side character line and somewhat arcing and low roofline, the Passat however doesn’t present itself as anything more than a big spacious and comfortable saloon. Comfortable in its own skin, the Passat is not a car that tries to straddle segments or pretend to follow passing fads. Classy, conservative and up-market in design and appointment without over-reaching, the Passat instead focuses on the basics of what a good family saloon should be.

Understated in its aesthetic, the Passat’s last refresh tweaked its design to be subtly more athletic and better resolved. Gaining sharper edges and more defined bonnet surfacing, the re-styled Passat also features a snoutier, more protruding grille with an increased use of chrome. Either side of its wide grille, the Passat features deeper set and more dramatic headlights, in addition to a sportier and more angular bumper treatment. Looking more up-market, the revised model also features slimmer and more streamlined rear lights, and integrated boot spoiler and exhaust ports.

Proven and progressive

Eschewing more complicated turbo-charging or hybrid systems as is prevailing preference in its class, the single Passat drive-line option offered in the region is instead a reliably proven naturally-aspirated 2.5-litre 5-cylinder engine with less fashionable, but reliable multi-point fuel injection system and durable cast iron block. With a well-suppressed but charismatic 5-cylinder engine note, it develops 168BHP by 5,700rpm and 

177lb/ft torque at 4,250rpm, which propels its estimated 1,450kg through 0-100km/h in 9.2-seconds and onto 190km/h, while returning 9.4l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency.

Smooth, refined and progressive in delivery, the Passat makes progress at a fair pace, and is responsive at low revs and versatile in mid-range, where it pulls confidently on inclines. Willing all the way to redline, its engine’s linear delivery and heavy, long-travel throttle pedal allow for smoother driving and for one to accurately increase power and revs without jerky or over-sensitive responses to throttle inputs. Front-driven through a smooth shifting 6-speed automatic gearbox, shifts are well-timed if not particularly swift, while tiptronic self-shifting allows for more driver involvement.

Smooth stability

Designed with American and Middle East markets in mind, the Passat places great emphasis on comfort, with its ride quality being a more compliant take on the typically firm and stable German car characteristic. Noticeably suppler than many European Volkswagen offerings, the Passat felt at home on pocked, cracked and bumpy roads. A comfortable long distance cruiser with great noise, vibration and harshness isolation, the Passat’s forgiving suspension rates meanwhile allow it to glide over imperfect highways, even with lower profile 235/4518 tyres.

Stable at speed and comfortable over imperfections, the Passat’s handling has a certain European flavouring, with a tidy turn-in and well-weighted steering. Cornering lean is evident but well-controlled, with its suspension seemingly tuned for firmer lateral control and more absorbent vertical movement. Confident, if not especially nimble on brisk, narrow winding roads, the Passat could do with slightly firmer compression control over fast, sudden deep dips. Meanwhile, its instinct is for understeer if driven too fast into sharp narrow corners, but electronic stability systems quick put things right.

Understated and up-market

Manoeuvrable through B-roads and busy city streets for a long car, the Passat’s relatively airy glasshouse and level waistline meanwhile offers good visibility. Optional rear camera, blindspot alert and Rear Distance Alert and Park Distance Control systems additionally allow for more confidence on busy streets. With plenty of mechanical road-holding, the Passat’s various standard and optional safety features however include electronic brakeforce distribution, adaptive airbags, and Post-collision Braking and Intelligent Crash Response systems, which cut the fuel pump, unlocks doors and turns on hazard lights after a crash. 

A classy yet discrete and attainable saloon with plenty of comfort, the Passat’s upmarket interior is understated, uncomplicated and conservatively sensible. With user-friendly and layouts and controls, symmetric style and good quality materials, its driving position is meanwhile comfortable, supportive, and well-suited for large and tall drivers. Rear passengers enjoy generous legroom and above average headspace, while a large boot accommodates 568-litres. Standard and optional equipment meanwhile include dual zone climate control, keyless entry, motion sensing boot release, sat nav and 8-way driver’s seat adjustability.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2.5-litre, cast iron block/aluminium head, transverse 5-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 82.55 x 92.71mm

Compression ratio: 9.5:1

Valve-train: 20-valve, DOHC

Gearbox: 6-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive

0-100km/h: 9.2-seconds

Maximum speed: 190km/h

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 168 (170) [125] @5,700rpm

Specific power: 67.7BHP/litre

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 177 (240) @4,250rpm

Specific torque: 97Nm/litre

Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4l/100km

Fuel capacity: 70-litres

Length: 4,910mm

Width: 1,835mm

Height: 1,472mm

Wheelbase: 2,803mm

Curb weight: 1,450kg (est.)

Luggage capacity: 568-litres

Steering: Electric-assisted rack and pinion

Turning circle: 11.1-metres

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/discs

Suspension, front: MacPherson strut/four-link coil springs, stabiliser bar

Tyres: 235/4518

Price, on-the-road: From JD37,700

By Sara Mahdawi
Clinical Psychologist 

Want a method to use anytime and anywhere to regulate your guilt and shame, anger and frustration, sadness and grief? Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which combines needleless acupuncture and psychology, helps ease stress, fear and anxiety.

Roots in traditional Chinese medicine

For over 3,000 years, acupuncture has been used to relieve pain by inserting a thin needle into the skin at strategic points of the body. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that physical pain is caused due to a disturbance in the body’s energy flow, so acupuncture can help balance the flow of energy or life force, known as chi or qi, through pathways known as meridians in the body. In addition, many Western practitioners use acupuncture to stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue to increase the body’s natural painkillers. 

Acupuncture-EFT link

Acupuncture uses needles to apply pressure to energy points, while EFT uses fingertip tapping to apply pressure while focusing on situations that represent fear or trauma. Similar to acupuncture, the basis of EFT is that the cause of all negative emotions is an imbalance in the body’s energy system. Thus, stimulating specific points through EFT can reduce the stress or negative emotion you feel, ultimately restoring balance to your disrupted energy. EFT is used to remove negative emotions, reduce food cravings, reduce or eliminate pain and implement positive goals.

How EFT works

The technique is safe and straightforward, so it’s one of the few psychotherapeutic techniques that can be taught to participants whenever appropriate or needed. Typically, tapping takes place whilst identifying a specific concern, distressing memory or event. Then you rank the stressor’s intensity on a scale of 0–10, with ten being the worst the stress has ever been. 

This ranking system allows a person to assess the effectiveness of the tapping at the end of the treatment. Then the concern or memory should be verbally acknowledged and paired with a reframing self-acceptance statement.

For example, “Even though I am struggling with feelings of unworthiness, I fully and completely accept myself.” The short reminder phrase as well as the statement keep your attention on the present problem and should be repeated while tapping five to ten times with the fingertips on these locations: The heel of the hand, three locations around the eye, the area below the nose, the area below the lips, the collarbone, the underarm and the top of the head.

Many people who seek EFT like to control their treatment completely. Although it is inexpensive, less time-consuming and easier to learn than other therapeutic approaches, speak to your psychologist or doctor first if EFT interests you.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

FAIRFAX/WASHINGTON — A jubilant Johnny Depp said Wednesday that a US jury “gave me my life back” by overwhelmingly taking his side in a bitter defamation battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard over mutual allegations of domestic abuse.

The jury, after a six-week trial, found that Depp and Heard had defamed each other, but weighed in far more strongly with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star.

The 58-year-old Depp, who lost a libel case against The Sun tabloid in London in 2020 for calling him a “wife-beater”, celebrated the split verdict in the case as a victory while Heard said she was “heart-broken”.

The five-man, two-woman jury, after deliberating over three days, unanimously found Heard liable for all three counts of defamation against Depp and awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.

Virginia law caps punitive damages at $350,000 meaning the total award is $10.35 million.

The 36-year-old Heard prevailed on just one of the three counterclaims she made against Depp and the jury awarded her compensatory damages — but a much lower amount of $2 million.

A sombre Heard, her eyes downcast, listened impassively as the verdict was read out in Fairfax County Circuit Court near the US capital.

“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” she said in a statement. “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.

“I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women,” she said. “It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.

“It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”

Fans outside court

Depp, who has been in England for the past few days, was not in court for the verdict in the high-profile trial that hinged on lurid claims and counterclaims of domestic abuse between the Hollywood celebrities.

But he welcomed the verdict in a statement posted on Instagram which quickly received millions of “likes.”

“Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people, who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed,” Depp said.

“The jury gave me my life back,” he said. “From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome.

“The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun.”

A few dozen onlookers and Depp supporters waited outside the courthouse in sweltering heat for the verdict, including a man sporting a Captain Jack Sparrow pirate hat.

A Depp fan held a sign reading: “No matter what happens today, Johnny, you are a winner!!! And the whole world knows the TRUTH!!!”

Depp filed suit against Heard over an article she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018 in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”.

The Texas-born Heard, who had a starring role in “Aquaman”, did not name Depp in the piece, but he sued her for implying he was a domestic abuser and sought $50 million in damages.

Heard countersued for $100 million, saying she was defamed by statements made by Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, who told the Daily Mail her abuse claims were a “hoax”.

Both needed to prove the statements were defamatory and, to win compensatory or punitive damages, the jury needed to find they were made with actual malice — with knowledge that they were false or with “reckless disregard” for the truth.

Volatile relationship

Dozens of witnesses testified during the trial, including bodyguards, Hollywood executives, agents, entertainment industry experts, doctors, friends and relatives.

Depp and Heard each spent days on the witness stand during the televised trial, which was attended by hundreds of fans of the “Pirates” star and accompanied by a #JusticeForJohnnyDepp campaign on social media.

Video and audio recordings of heated, profanity-laced arguments between the couple were played for the jury, which was also shown photographs of injuries allegedly suffered by Heard during their volatile relationship.

Hours of testimony were devoted to a grisly finger injury that Depp suffered while filming an instalment of “Pirates” in Australia in March 2015.

Depp, a three-time Oscar nominee, claimed the tip of a finger was severed when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him. Heard said she did not know how the injury occurred.

Both agreed that Depp went on to scrawl messages on walls, lampshades and mirrors using the bloody digit.

Heard said Depp would become a physically and sexually abusive “monster” during alcohol- and drug-fueled binges and resisted her repeated efforts to curb his drinking and drug use.

Depp testified that it was Heard who was frequently violent and said it had been “brutal” to listen to “outlandish” accusations of domestic abuse.

Heard, who was married to Depp from 2015 to 2017, obtained a restraining order against him in May 2016, citing domestic violence.

Both sides claimed that the abuse accusations and surrounding publicity had damaged their Hollywood careers.

PARIS — A child’s tooth at least 130,000 years old found in a Laos cave could help scientists uncover more information about an early human cousin, a recent study said.

Researchers believe the discovery proves that Denisovans — a now-extinct branch of humanity — lived in the warm tropics of southeast Asia.

Very little is known about the Denisovans, a cousin of Neanderthals.

Scientists first discovered them while working in a Siberian cave in 2010 and finding a finger bone of a girl belonging to a previously unidentified group of humans.

Using only a finger and a wisdom tooth found in the Denisova Cave, they extracted an entire genome of the group.

Researchers then found a jawbone in 2019 on the Tibetan Plateau, proving that part of the species lived in China as well.

Aside from these rare fossils, the Denisova man left little trace before disappearing — except in the genes of human DNA today.

Through interbreeding with Homo sapiens, Denisovan remnants can be found in current populations in southeast Asia and Oceania.

Aboriginal Australians and people in Papua New Guinea have up to five per cent of the ancient species’ DNA.

Cobra Cave discovery

Scientists concluded “these populations’ modern ancestors were ‘mixed’ with Denisovans in southeast Asia”, said Clement Zanolli, a paleoanthropologist and co-author of the study published in Nature Communications.

But there was no “physical proof” of their presence in this part of the Asian continent, far from the freezing mountains of Siberia or Tibet, the researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research told AFP.

This was the case until the group of scientists began searching in the Cobra Cave in northeast Laos.

Cave specialists discovered the area in a mountain in 2018 next to Tam Pa Ling Cave, where the remains of ancient humans have already been found.

The tooth immediately appeared to have a “typically human” shape, explained Zanolli.

The study said, based on ancient proteins, the tooth belonged to a child, likely female, aged between 3.5 and 8.5 years old.

But the tooth is too old for carbon-dating, and the DNA has been badly preserved because of heat and humidity, said paleoanthropologist and study co-author Fabrice Demeter.

After analysing the shape of the tooth, scientists reckon it was most likely a Denisovan who lived between 164,000 to 131,000 years ago.

Neanderthal cousin

They then studied the tooth’s interior through different methods including analysing proteins and a 3D X-ray reconstruction. 

The tooth’s internal structure was similar to that of the molars found in the Tibetan Denisova specimen. It was clearly distinguishable from modern humans and other ancient species that lived in Indonesia and the Philippines.

“The proteins allowed us to identify the sex — female — and confirm its relation to the Homo species,” said Demeter, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, where the tooth is temporarily based.

The tooth’s structure had common characteristics with Neanderthals, who were genetically close to Denisovans. The two species are thought to have diverged around 350,000 years ago.

But Zanolli explained that the researchers concluded it was a Denisova specimen because no Neanderthal traces have been found so far east.

For Demeter, the discovery shows that Denisovans occupied this part of Asia and adapted to a wide range of environments, from cold altitudes to tropical climates, whereas their Neanderthal cousins seemed more “specialised” in cold western regions.

The last Denisovans could have therefore met and interbred with modern humans, who passed on their genetic heritage to southeast Asia’s modern populations, in the Pleistocene epoch.

LONGYEARBYEN, Norway — Home to polar bears, the midnight sun and the northern lights, a Norwegian archipelago perched high in the Arctic is trying to find a way to profit from its pristine wilderness without ruining it.

The Svalbard Archipelago, located 1,300 kilometres from the North Pole and reachable by commercial airline flights, offers visitors vast expanses of untouched nature, with majestic mountains, glaciers and frozen fjords. 

Or, the fjords used to be frozen. Svalbard is now on the frontline of climate change, with the Arctic warming three times faster than the planet.

The local coal mines — the original reason for human settlements here — have closed one after the other over the years, and tourism has become one of the main pillars of the local economy, along with scientific research.

“It’s always hard to defend because we know that tourism worldwide creates challenges to all the places people visit, but also in the bigger climate change perspective,” acknowledged Ronny Brunvoll, the head of tourism board Visit Svalbard.

“But we can’t stop people from travelling. We can’t stop people from visiting each other, so we have to find solutions,” he said.

Around 140,000 people visit these latitudes each year, according to pre-pandemic data, where 65 per cent of the land is protected. 

Like the 3,000 local residents, visitors must follow strict rules that bar them from disturbing the animals — tracking a polar bear can lead to a big fine — or picking flowers in an ecosystem almost devoid of vegetation.

“You are really confronted with nature. There are not a lot of places like this left,” said Frederique Barraja, a French photographer on one of her frequent trips to the region.

“It attracts people, like all rare places. But these places remain fragile, so you have to be respectful when you visit them.”

Ultra-polluting heavy fuel, commonly used by large cruise ships, has been banned in the archipelago since the start of the year, ahead of a ban to be progressively implemented across the Arctic as of 2024.

The ban may be another nail in the coffin for the controversial cruise ships that sail into the region.

The biggest of the behemoths can drop off up to 5,000 passengers in Longyearbyen, the archipelago’s modest main town whose infrastructure, such as roads and toilets, is not designed to accommodate such large crowds.

Electric wave

With tourism here already attracting a rather exclusive clientele, some operators are going further than regulations require, such as Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten which aims to become “the most environmental tour operator in the world”.

Sustainability “shouldn’t be a competitive advantage”, said a senior executive with the group, Henrik Lund. “It should just give a right to play.” 

The company banned single-use plastics back in 2018, and now offers outings on electric snowmobiles.

It also recently launched excursions on board a small cutting-edge hybrid vessel, the Kvitbjorn (Polar Bear, in Norwegian), combining a diesel motor and electric batteries. 

“In the idyllic exploration areas, we go full electric. We go silent and we don’t have any combustion fumes,” said Johan Inden, head of marine engine maker Volvo Penta.

But electrification efforts in the archipelago are currently hobbled by the fact that electricity comes from a coal plant — a fossil energy source that contributes to global warming.

“Electrification makes sense, regardless of the energy source,” insisted Christian Eriksen of the Norwegian environmental group Bellona.

Regardless of whether it comes from “dirty” or “clean” sources, electricity “makes it possible either way to reduce emissions”, Eriksen said, citing a study on electric cars that came to the same conclusion.

Longyearbyen plans to close the plant by the autumn of 2023, invest in renewable energies and reduce its emissions by 80 per cent by 2030.

But Brunvoll, the head of the tourism board, noted the main problem is travel.

“Even when addressing the things we can do locally, like the emissions from snowmobiles or cars, we must still acknowledge that the really big problem is the transport to and from Svalbard, both in tourism but also for us locals,” he said.

“We have a climate footprint per capita in Longyearbyen that is insane.”

BEIJING — Using a craft gun to shoot yarn through a fabric screen, Nora Peng puts the finishing touches on a rug in the shape of a corgi’s bottom — the perfect stress-relieving hobby for her frantic days.

She is one of a growing number taking up the handicraft “tufting” as the country’s younger generations look for options away from the daily rat race.

The handicraft creates versatile shapes and patterns by using a special gun to thread and cut yarn though fabric pinned to a wooden frame.

“I think tufting is very stress-relieving,” college student Peng said, her voice almost drowned out by the noise of the tufting gun. 

“I have to read textbooks everyday for school and it’s exhausting.”

Every weekend, Beijing’s iHome tufting workshop attracts flocks of young handicraft lovers who spend the day carefully weaving yarn.

On a recent Saturday around twenty young people, mostly women, packed out the brightly-lit studio, each holding a tufting gun in their hands. 

“It requires a lot of patience, but as long as you get the hang of it, tufting is not difficult,” first-time tufter and state company employee Yan Xinyue told AFP.

Chatter and laughter filled the room as they stopped to compare and admire each other’s designs — mostly cartoon character carpets or colourful patched handbags and mirrors. 

Peng decided to have a go after seeing the craft trending on social media.

“Everyone is making it, so I thought I’d come and try it as well.”

Her cheeky corgi backside rug is a place for her pet cat to sleep, she said.

“I think it’s cute and funny,” she laughed. “[The design of] a corgi’s little butt is very popular these days.”

Tufting’s popularity has been hugely boosted by online influencers.

“Making this gave me a sense of satisfaction,” said Shi Ba, an influencer reviewing workshops for her online followers.

Stress relief

Weighed down by worries over the high pressures of life, including growing inequality and the rising costs of living and property prices, China’s young adults are looking for new ways to unwind.

Stressed young people under thirty are typical tufting lovers according to Xu Shen, the founder of iHome tufting workshop.

They want to “forget about their tedious work and just focus on making craftwork”, he told AFP.

Tufting has only became popular in China over the past three to five months, he added, but soaring demand for the craft has seen him already open nine stores across the capital.

Each receives hundreds of customers per week — many drawn in through social media.

There are now more than 140 tufting workshops in Beijing alone, according to booking site Dianping.

But the challenge is getting repeat customers, Mao Wei, the owner of Horus Club tufting workshop told AFP. 

Many are just one-time visitors who “come out of curiosity”, he said.

The hobby is riding a wave of popularity as it draws in young people hunting entertainment away from work, said Xu.

“We know that [the development of] tufting will likely go through a bottleneck period, and the market will not grow anymore after it reaches a certain scale,” he admitted.

“But it’s still on a rising trend.”

GENEVA — The tobacco industry is a far greater threat than many realise as it is one of the world’s biggest polluters, from leaving mountains of waste to driving global warming, the World Health Organisation (WHO) charged on Tuesday.

The WHO accused the industry of causing widespread de-forestation, diverting badly needed land and water in poor countries away from food production, spewing out plastic and chemical waste as well as emitting millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide. 

In its report released on World No Tobacco Day, the UN agency called for the tobacco industry to be held to account and foot the bill for the cleanup.

The report, “Tobacco: Poisoning our planet”, looks at the impacts of the whole cycle, from the growth of plants to the manufacturing of tobacco products, to consumption and waste.

While tobacco’s health impacts have been well documented for decades — with smoking still causing more than eight million deaths worldwide every year — the report focuses on its broader environmental consequences.

The findings are “quite devastating”, Ruediger Krech, WHO director of health promotion, told AFP, slamming the industry as “one of the biggest polluters that we know of”.

The industry is responsible for the loss of some 600 million trees each year, while tobacco growing and production uses 200,000 hectares of land and 22 billion tonnes of water annually, the report found.

It also emits around 84 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, it said.

In addition, “tobacco products are the most littered item on the planet, containing over 7,000 toxic chemicals, which leech into our environment when discarded”, Krech said.

He pointed out that each one of the estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts that end up in our oceans, rivers, sidewalks and beaches every year can pollute 100 litres of water. 

And up to a quarter of all tobacco farmers contract so-called green tobacco sickness, or poisoning from the nicotine they absorb through the skin.

Farmers who handle tobacco leaves all day consume the equivalent of 50 cigarettes worth of nicotine a day, Krech said.

This is especially worrying for the many children involved in tobacco farming.

“Just imagine a 12-year-old being exposed to 50 cigarettes a day,” he said.

Most tobacco is grown in poorer countries, where water and farmland are often in short supply, and where such crops are often grown at the expense of vital food production, the report said.

Tobacco farming also accounts for about 5 per cent of global deforestation, and drives depletion of precious water resources.

At the same time the processing and transportation of tobacco account for a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions — with the equivalent of one-fifth of the global airline industry’s carbon footprint.

In addition, products like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes also contribute significantly to the global build-up of plastic pollution, WHO warned.

Cigarette filters contain microplastics — the tiny fragments that have been detected in every ocean and even at the bottom of the world’s deepest trench — and make up the second-highest form of plastic pollution worldwide, the report said.

And yet, despite tobacco industry marketing, WHO stressed that there is no evidence filters provide any proven health benefits over smoking non-filtered cigarettes.

The UN agency urged policy makers worldwide to treat cigarette filters as single-use plastics, and to consider banning them.

It also decried that taxpayers around the world had been covering the towering costs of cleaning up the tobacco industry’s mess.

Each year, China for instance dishes out around $2.6 billion and India around $766 million, while Brazil and Germany pay some $200 million each to clean up littered tobacco products, the report found.

WHO insisted that more countries should follow the so-called Polluter Pays Principle, as in France and Spain.

It is important, Krech said, that “the industry pay actually for the mess that they are creating”.