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"If smoking destroyed the O-Zone layer..."

Alright, so just suppose for a minute that some boffin somewhere figures out that smoking destroys the o-zone layer. I know it's impossible - just imagine.

Say that, at the current rate of smoking, the whole thing will be gone in 100 years. And we'll all die. Do you reckon most people would quit?

(I don't, by the way - people are selfish)

The problem is, what difference will it make if one person gives up? Say someone wants to give up because of the o-zone threat, but realises that no one else is. Will they still give up, or continue smoking because there's no point in just one person giving up?

So purely by smoking (a pastime I enjoy greatly), I can bring about the end of this planet?

Man, why did nobody tell me this before.
The bloody years I've spent on massive lasers/poison pigeons/super-intelligent sharks and the like...and all I gots to do is smoke?

Woo-Hoo!!!!

Ben, the point is that it would take 10 billion smokers about 1000 years to effectively deplete the ozone layer, hence it is not a threat. If it WERE a threat, I think changes would be made. Cars pollute, but they are a necessity of modern living. Cigarettes are not.

hahahaha, yeah ok, just like we all drive 900cc cars that run on gas (LPG), and never litter or burn tires etc.....

Look into it. A lot of the chemicals which are expelled from cigarettes do deplete ozone. It has been known for many years but they are nowhere near as bad as CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons).

Actually, if it were known that smoking would kill the world in less than a century, firstly, public figures would have to quit to keep their image (with a few exceptions like heavy metal idiots). I expect it would take 2 or 3 years but eventually internation laws would be passed introducing environmental taxation against tobacco companies. This in turn would cause cigarette prices to sky rocket.

Further to this, any half shameless government will also up the tax on cigarettes, forcing many people to quit, or start stealing a car a day to keep up the habit.

Soon enough smoking is an elitist habit, done only by those who can still afford it, despite the fact that declining demand will force further price rises, since price drops aren't a feasible option.

Something like that anyway...

And the smokers aged between 10-20 and are too stupid to understand the concept anyway. So we'd be well screwed

No

And the companies would still make them and government would keep it legal then everyone will panic 90 years later and try to fix it.

If you took all the nasty fag smokers away and shot them, then yes, I'd imagine they would.

But otherwise, they wouldn't. Because they'd take the view that they'll be long dead in 30 years, let alone 100, so why should they care?

Alright, so just suppose for a minute that some boffin somewhere figures out that smoking destroys the o-zone layer. I know it's impossible - just imagine.

Say that, at the current rate of smoking, the whole thing will be gone in 100 years. And we'll all die. Do you reckon most people would quit?

(I don't, by the way - people are selfish)