No publisher in Asia has publicly rejected Big Oil ad dollars to date, and most provide a platform for fossil fuel brands, described by UN chief Antonio Guterres as "godfathers of climate chaos". Journalists and news consumers believe dirty energy advertising discredits climate-related content, but support for a tobacco-style ad ban is limited.
WHO advises Asian countries to stop subsidising tobacco farms and grow rice and vegetables instead. Asian countries devote more than a million hectares to tobacco cultivation.
Chronic obstructive lung disease is mainly due to environmental causes, but in poor Asian countries, smoking and indoor pollution from cooking are the leading causes.