This is an opportunity to make people aware of the harmful effects of consuming tobacco. This year’s World No Tobacco Day theme is “Tobacco: Threat to our environment.”
The campaign aims to raise awareness among the public about the negative environmental impacts of tobacco.
While the official day for World Tobacco Day is on Tuesday, May 31, the Active City Development Program hosted a walk from Sir Hubert Murray Stadium to Ela Beach for No Tobacco Day in partnership with the World Health Organization and the PNG Cancer Foundation this morning.
Governor Parkop led the walk at 5am and with him a group of committed youths and families in town.
Throughout its life cycle, tobacco pollutes the planet and damages the health of all people as it kills over 8 million people every year. Through cultivation, production, distribution, consumption, and post-consumer waste, tobacco harms our environment.
It destroys our forests, uses our safe drinking water and pollutes our air, and the harmful impacts are continuing to grow adding unnecessary pressure to our planet’s already scarce resources and fragile ecosystems.
PNG is in the top 10 range globally for tobacco consumption, identifying the male gender for being the common smoker. Smoking cigarette is one of the risk factors that accounts for 80 percent of NCD’s mainly Cancers, CVD’s, respiratory diseases and Diabetes.
PNG Cancer Foundation volunteer, Tracy Kabewa was present to disseminate awareness surrounding risk factors of cancer, what it is and how smoking is responsible for different types of diseases especially cancer.
Governor Parkop addressed that the impact that such a habit will have on a person and their families.
“If you don’t look after yourself you give yourself an unhealthy lifestyle and also you will affect your family because when you get sick it’s not just you who will be worried and stressed but so will your family and friends. Let’s take responsibility for ourselves and each other,” he said.
Governor Parkop said each person has an individual choice of whether to quit smoking or not but it is also everyone’s responsibility to try help in encouraging them to quit for their own sake and not oppress them with criticizing them when they try and fail.
The Active City Development team performed a suprise flash mob at the Amazing Port Moresby and will be doing more around the city during World No Tobacco Day. Word has it that the team are expected to perform at five surprise locations throughout the day.
Meantime, the team also announced another walk commemorating World Environment, which will start on June 3rd-4th and then on Sunday 5th the walk will take place from the Hubert Murray Stadium to Ela Beach followed by a bus ride to Konebada for a beach clean-up.
Friday 3rd and Saturday June 4, the World Environment day program is set at the APEC Haus showcasing talented displays of art and the like by students from selected schools and will be attended by members from Active City, NCDC, WHO, CEPA.