Does smoking contribute to global warming?

Question

So I went to listen to a public speaker explaining greenhouse gases to a group of college students - and during one of the breaks I was outside smoking a quick cigarette - when a girl came up to me and started to chew me out and tell me how cigarette smokers were destroying the environment and contributing to global warming.

I had to admit I was a little embarassed at being called out because I didn't know any facts on the issue, and also because Im kinda something of a chain smoker, like at least two packs a day, sometimes three; which I know is awful for me, but I can't help it if Im addicted, right. I was just wondering if there is any actual science or statistics behind this? Could one persons cigarette smoking actually contribute to global warming?

Answer 1

No, at the rate your smoking You will probably reduce your infinitesimally small effect on the environment because you will be dead much sooner. But I am more disappointed that you were actually embarrased by this. You should have b slapped her and said now your red *** face is heatin up idn;t it!

Answer 2

We are not the only cause and humans only affect 0.05% of global warming. Also, fossil fuels, coal, petroleum only account for 2.5% of global warming. GLOBAL WARMING IS NOT A BIG DEAL. It is a cycle in which the Earth goes through naturally and without variables. Humans do nothing specially but people who go crazy about such unimportant things (people who are far left-wing liberals, most notably Al Gore). The reason people blow this out of proportion is because of trying to get attention and making money on the way. The outcome of global warming is an Ice Age but definitely not anytime soon, I would say in about 10,000 years. It will not affect us until then. I am VERY mad that schools in the US are trying to put into classes that humans are the reason and the ONLY reason. Give me a break, get a clue and deal with important matters. That is the ultimate reason for the US's current economic downturn(ignorance and arrogance in the government, aka Nancy Pelosi. SO NOOOOOOO

Answer 3

A *teeny* bit. Not so much from the actual tobacco burning as from the processing and transportation used to get that cigarette to you. If you grew your own tobacco, and wrapped it in paper you made yourself, your cigarette habit would have essentially *no* effect on global warming, as all of the CO2 from what you burned was taken from the air by the tobacco plant (and whatever plant you made the paper from). If you want to make your smoking more eco-friendly, you might look into rolling your own, so that there's less processing and less waste. Or, at least, look for a brand (I don't know if there is any) that uses recycled materials and/or minimal packaging.



Still, smoking's very bad for you. And you can quit, or at least reduce your cigarette consumption, if you try. There are resources out there to help...

Answer 4

Although a cigeratte does release CO2 when it is burned the tobacco inside it took up that CO2 from the atmosphere when it was grown.



Does an individual cigarette have much of an affect? No its impact will be very small but overall the impact of the tobacco industry has a whole has a large carbon footprint (like all other industries). Will you stopping smoking stop global warming - no it won't. Will it extent your life - yes it will.



edit:@Maxx: Ah the great global warming swindle that pinnacle of scientific journalism integrity. To anyone who watches it watch this as well http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COrP0J6GwrU&feature=youtu.be goes nicely into all the miss use of graphs that are 30 years old and general lies in the great global warming swindle. If you don't have time to watch the whole thing just watch from 17:00 until they stop talking about solar activity and laugh your *** off at the guy who made the great global warming swindle trying to squirm his way out of the fact they used a 30 year old graph that conveniently stops just as solar activity diverges away from temperature (temperatures go up solar activity goes down).

Answer 5

Technically, yes but the impact would be so insignificant that you should be more worried about your health than what it does to the planet. Global warming is a natural process the Earth goes through every few million years, it also gets cooler at some times. Sure the pollution from humans does have an affect, but this is something that was happening long before man walked the Earth.

Answer 6

Smoking itself contributes very little to global warming by blowing off carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, trillions of cigarettes made per year require tobacco growing which leaches minerals out of the land. Filters take years to destroy and buts themselves take months to break down. So although the act of smoking itself does not contribute negatively toward the environment, the second had products are very harmful to the planet.

Answer 7

Welcome to the coming world Becky if the wack-job/enviro-nuts get their way. The whole man-made Global Warming and Environmental movements are ALL ABOUT that little experience you just had. The idea is to get EVERYONE minding YOUR business.



The idea is to pit neighbor against neighbor, get everyone informing on everyone else, stir-up as much discontent as possible, then no one will be paying attention to what the globalist are doing.



The real goals are to destroy capitalism, liberty and property rights while taxing us to death. Spread the socialistic/collectivist worldview and make you forget about individual rights.



It's all very ugly, you should watch these videos to learn more:



The Great Global Warming Swindle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaTJJCPYhlk



Global Warming Doomsday Called Off

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3309910462407994295#



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spikeychris - I wouldn't be disparaging anyone's graph if I was on the side of those that created the HockeyStick graph.

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Answer 8

Tobacco takes in CO2 and it is released when you burn it, so no addition there. The CO2 emitted by tobacco cultivation and the associated processing of tobacco adds to the CO2 emitted (as it does for almost everything we use). That is why buying local, reducing packaging and not buying stuff that you don't need is important. It is just hard on the economy right now.



The bigger issue is the potential health effects. This could result in higher transportation costs for you in the future and more energy spent on testing and managing illnesses. This is harder to predict.

Answer 9

You'd need to smoke something stronger than tobacco to come up with "actual science" attributing cigarettes to climate change. The person who accosted you was probably half asleep when it was explained that climate change DENIAL and tobacco risk DENIAL are related. Both of you should get back inside and pay better attention to the speaker (unless he is an anti-science denier).

Answer 10

Plant's love carbon dioxide they'll gobble it up and poop out oxygen.

Answer 11

Big time dude!!! Quit smoking!!

Answer 12

If a mouse pees in the ocean, does the water level go up?

Answer 13

No, but farting sure does. Look up cows and CO2 production

Answer 14

global warming is a global conspiracy led by Zionist Jews to recapture Transylvania from the Amish

Answer 15

not really but its the number one indoor pollutant

Answer 16

why, yes it does