Preface
The Tobacco Atlas is intended for readers interested in the effect tobacco has on health, politics, economics, big business, corporate behavior, globalization, smuggling, tax, religion, allocation of resources, poverty, gender issues, human rights, children, human development, and the future.
This third edition of The Tobacco Atlas maps the history, documents the current situation, and predicts the future of the tobacco epidemic. The chapters illustrate that tobacco is not simply a matter of personal choice, but also involves a political and economic panoply of global social and demographic change, government policy, and corporate strategies, including tobacco industry activities such as smuggling, deceptive marketing, and evasion of corporate responsibility. This Atlas reflects the importance of multilateral approaches to reduce the epidemic, requiring action by the World Health Organization, other UN agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, and concerned individuals—in fact, the whole of civil society.
Since the previous edition of The Tobacco Atlas was published in 2006, there have been several significant developments in global tobacco control. To date, 161 countries have ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the first application of international law to further public health. In 2008, the World Health Organization issued the MPO WER report, a comprehens-ive analysis of global tobacco use and control efforts. The MPO WER report provides an unprecedented level of detail and a roadmap for effective solutions. The recent contributions of major international donors, such as the Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, have improved the global tobacco control environment by significantly increasing levels of funding for tobacco control efforts in low- and middle-resource countries.
As the costs of tobacco have been more carefully studied in different national economies, policy makers and the public are realizing that tobacco control benefits the health and wealth of nations and individuals. More countries have passed legislation to increase tobacco taxes, ban tobacco promotion, require health warnings, and create smoke-free areas in public places. In many countries, tobacco industry documents are being analyzed to expose the harmful activities of the tobacco industry and hold it responsible for damages. The most effective national tobacco control plans integrate comprehensive tobacco control activities into existing health and education programs.
Despite progress in policy development and public awareness, the world’s total number of smokers and the number of tobacco-related deaths continue to grow. This unfortunate trend, due largely to global population increases, is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Tragically, the tobacco burden is falling increasingly on low- and middle resource countries, and the concern that more women are smoking cannot be underestimated.
The publication of this third edition of the Atlas marks a critical juncture in the unfolding pandemic. With an eye on the past century and the remainder of this century ahead, we can choose to stand by idly while the tobacco industry causes another one billion deaths in the twenty-first century, or we can embrace the spirit of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control by implementing robust and effective measures to protect people’s health and the wealth of nations. Millions of lives, trillions of dollars, and the world’s prospects for an equitable future hang in the balance.
Omar Shafey, Scientific Integrity Consulting, LLC , Atlanta, USA
Michael Eriksen, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA
Hana Ross, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, USA
Judith Mackay, World Lung Foundation, Hong Kong, SAR China
