[🇧🇩] Save the Rivers/Forests/Hills-----Save the Environment

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Bangladesh to observe World Environment Day June 25

Bangladesh will observe World Environment Day on June 25 instead of June 5, as Eid-ul-Azha holiday has already begun in the country...

www.newagebd.net

Bangladesh to observe World Environment Day June 25
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka 05 June, 2025, 21:03

Representational image. | BSS photo

Bangladesh will observe World Environment Day on June 25 instead of June 5, as Eid-ul-Azha holiday has already begun in the country.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change chalked out different programmes to mark the day on June 25.

This year’s theme of the day is ‘Say no to plastic pollution - it is time to act’.

Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus is expected to attend the main event as the chief guest at the Bangladesh-China Friendship International Conference Center in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital.

The chief adviser is also expected to inaugurate the National Tree Plantation Campaign and the month-long Tree Fair and Environment Fair by planting sapling on the occasion.

Besides, he will confer the National Environment Awards and the National Awards for Tree Plantation and Wildlife Conservation among recipients.

To raise public awareness against environment pollution, the theme and the slogan of the World Environment Day 2025 will be broadcast as scroll messages on Bangladesh Television as well as all private TV channels and electronic media.​

 

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'Bangladesh has emerged as a key learning hub for regional climate resilience'

Says ICIMOD DDG Izabella Koziell marking World Environment Day

www.thedailystar.net

'Bangladesh has emerged as a key learning hub for regional climate resilience'
Says ICIMOD DDG Izabella Koziell marking World Environment Day

Izabella Koziell

Bangladesh has emerged as a key learning hub for regional climate resilience, said Izabella Koziell, deputy director general at regional organisation -- International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) -- headquartered in Nepal.

"Despite its high vulnerability to climate change, Bangladesh has established numerous good examples of community-led adaptation strategies that can serve as inspiration for those experiencing similar issues in the region," she said.

In an email interview marking the World Environment Day, Izabella Koziell shared with The Daily Star the challenges and potentials of Bangladesh in terms of mountain development, preserving the rivers and regional cooperation.

TDS: We, in Bangladesh, rarely hear the term "mountain development". Can you please explain it?

Koziell: Mountains are characterised by extreme terrain — and their remoteness and shifts in elevation have given rise to unique cultures and biodiversity. In a warming planet, with rapid demographic changes, these fragile environments and societies are under growing pressures — to conserve nature while supporting livelihoods and combatting poverty. We use the umbrella term "mountain development" for the innovation, testing, and scaling of the most appropriate methods and approaches to meet people's development aspirations and needs while protecting biodiversity and safeguarding investments in infrastructure, such as roads and hydropower.

TDS: Bangladesh has two hill regions – Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet. What specific challenges do they face?

Koziell: The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and Sylhet are both vulnerable to climate change, although their issues are distinct due to their terrain and location. CHT is undergoing rapid change due to population pressures, agricultural expansion, and increased domestic tourism. Traditional cropping systems are being displaced by permanent agriculture, and unregulated tourism is endangering biodiversity-rich landscapes, rural villages, and fertile farmland. The unchecked development of hotels, businesses, and infrastructure poses a threat to lakes in CHT, forests landscape, and sensitive ecosystems. Springs and springheads an essential source of water for local communities, are also drying up. The region's unstable hillslopes are under increasing strain from environmental uncertainty, human activity, and climate change, unsustainable land use, and significant issues for populations that rely on these ecosystems.

Sylhet meanwhile faces increasing climate-related risks, including flash floods, waterlogging, and wetland degradation. Heavy rainfall and upstream river flow frequently submerge low-lying haor areas, damaging crops and fisheries. Unplanned urban growth and changing land use further strain its sensitive wetland ecosystems and rural livelihoods. The recent floods in Sylhet tell many stories about the impact of climate change.

TDS: Is ICIMOD doing anything in the CHT?

Koziell: We have undertaken a project — Green, Resilient, and Adaptive CHT Economy (GRACE) project that will use $10 million funding to help the most vulnerable hill communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) — and help it become more resilient to climate change. It will support the development of nature-based solutions and community-driven climate adaptation strategies following the direction of Bangladesh's National Adaptation Plan. The project aims to support establishment of more climate-resilient infrastructure, for example, improved retention ponds, restoration of springs and groundwater recharge systems in the water-scarce upazilas (sub-district units). Additionally, GRACE will improve the capacity of local governments, women, and youth to actively participate in climate-resilient development, disaster risk mitigation, and adaptation planning.

TDS: Bangladesh is a land of rivers but many of them are dying. What are your suggestions to prevent this trend?

Koziell: There must be urgent, stricter regulation, enforcement, and penalties for discharge and landfill. But what is also important is that steps are taken to maintain and sustain natural water flows upstream of Bangladesh – in the headwaters of Bangladesh's rivers. At higher altitudes, temperature rise is changing the pattern of snow and glacial melt that feed these rivers, it's also changing the intensity of rainfall, and groundwater recharge. These changes, as well as encroachment on river basins and other land use changes, are having a huge knock-on effect on downstream communities, with increasing risks from floods, land erosion, and salinity.

At ICIMOD we are promoting "integrated river basin management" (IRBM) approaches. We have also been calling for an urgent stepping up of scientific collaboration on rivers, and for the harnessing of local and Indigenous knowledge in water governance. We also strongly press for sustainable land use — which means curbing haphazard and unplanned development, as well as reducing deforestation, shifting cultivation, which will help reduce habitat loss and sedimentation of rivers. At a more macro level, no single country can tackle these alone. ICIMOD has, therefore, been facilitating processes that enhance regional collaboration among Hindu Kush Himalayan countries, as well as for presenting a unified voice in global forums.

TDS: How can ICIMOD help foster cooperation between nations as transboundary water management is critical for South Asia?

Koziell: ICIMOD, as a neutral convener, has engaged in significant efforts to foster transboundary water cooperation over its last 41 years by serving as a regional knowledge centre and as a science-policy bridge. Through our work on Resilient River Basins (RRB), ICIMOD promotes inclusive, climate-resilient approaches to water governance. By enabling structured collaboration and dialogue, the initiative helps countries shift from fragmented responses to shared strategies for addressing climate and water challenges in the Hindu Kush Himalayan transboundary basins. ICIMOD has helped facilitate the establishment of river basin networks that build trust and cooperation among riparian nations. ICIMOD also advances joint understanding through basin-scale assessments, vulnerability mapping, and integrated planning tools. By enabling data-driven decisions and fostering mutual learning, ICIMOD supports more cohesive and climate-resilient water governance across South Asia.

TDS: What role can Bangladesh play in regional climate resilience, particularly given its vulnerability and proactive adaptation strategies?

Koziell: As I said, Bangladesh has established numerous good examples of climate change adaptation. Early warning systems for floods and cyclones, together with a vast network of cyclone shelters, have saved countless lives and demonstrated that effective adaptation is feasible even with limited resources. Many nature-based solutions in Bangladesh are directly related to our National Adaptation Plan (NAP) intervention menu. Planting trees along key highways, such as the Dhaka-Chattogram Road, for example, helps mitigate climate impacts, protects infrastructure from intense heat, and increases biodiversity, while also improving air quality for Bangladesh and beyond.

The GRACE project's actions in mountainous regions, such as the CHT, will focus on restoring springs, safeguarding watersheds, promoting agroforestry, stabilising slopes, and introducing climate-resilient farming methods, all of which are based on Bangladesh's NAP adaptation guideline.

TDS: What would be your message to young Bangladeshi girls who aspire to be environmental leaders, scientists, or advocates?

Izabella Koziell: Women and girls there are often the hardest hit by the impacts of climate change. We need talented young women at the table. My message to aspiring Bangladeshi environmental leaders is – Remember that women everywhere are already "shaping a sustainable future" through conservation and innovation in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region. Pursue education and hands-on experience. Join networks (e.g. youth climate groups, science clubs, women's entrepreneur trainings) and learn from mentors. Every skill you gain multiplies your ability to protect the environment. By empowering women on the front lines, embracing gender-inclusive governance, and encouraging young female leaders, we create more just and effective environmental policies for all.​

 

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Why change must start with people

On World Environment Day, the conversation around plastic pollution takes centre stage.

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Why change must start with people

The global plastic treaty being negotiated, as reported in IISD’s Earth Negotiations Bulletin, is a welcome step. PHOTO: STAR

On World Environment Day, the conversation around plastic pollution takes centre stage—globally, in treaty rooms and international campaigns, and locally, as we stare at rivers choked by waste and fields littered with non-biodegradable remnants of daily survival. But too often, we isolate the plastic crisis from the human beings at its centre: the families, farmers, vendors, and millions for whom plastic is not a convenience but a necessity—a needed tool for carrying goods to work on a rainy day, building shelter to withstand torrential rains when there is no roof overhead, or simply storing belongings when even a tin trunk is unaffordable.

Plastic must be removed from our lives, for it kills—whether through choking rivers and oceans, or through the CO2 emitted in its production. But this can only happen when alternatives become reachable for the unrecognised faces who use it daily, not just for ease but for necessity. In a country like Bangladesh, where the vast majority live on the edge of survival, affordability and availability dictate choice. The conversation around alternatives must begin by asking: What will people use instead? And how will they afford it? If those answers remain unclear, expecting sudden behavioural shifts or blanket bans is not only unrealistic, it is unjust.

We need to find a solution that is both humane and environmentally responsible. We cannot presume to restrict plastic use only through regulation. We must provide alternatives and instil an understanding of the harm it causes, especially among those who rely on it most. People must feel connected to the cause, to understand that this is about protecting the rivers, the land, and the environment we all share. When the message speaks to the heart, not just through statistics or enforcement, it inspires collective responsibility. That is where real, lasting change begins.

Today, we speak of climate treaties and plastic bans. But unless the state becomes personal—unless the farmer understands why it matters to him, unless the mother in a char village sees what plastic waste might do to her child's future—we will not see real transformation. A policy that asks millions to give up a necessity must not descend like an order. It must rise from understanding, built through empathy and communicated in language that respects people's lives and acknowledges their realities.

The global plastic treaty being negotiated, as reported in IISD's Earth Negotiations Bulletin, is a welcome step. But it must not absolve us of our responsibilities at home. Plastic is already having an incredibly negative impact on the quality of our lives. Our rivers are clogged. Our waste systems are inadequate. While international consensus can help us gain legitimacy in our actions, we are already suffering daily from the lack of regulation and alternatives. We cannot wait for consensus to take shape. We need to act now—but act wisely—so that the millions who rely on plastic today are able to shift to alternatives, even if those alternatives are not yet as useful.

At the same time, we must resist imported narratives that do not fit our context. Western countries, with their histories of industrial growth, carbon emissions, and pollution, have created much of this crisis. But this is not about them feeling guilt. Guilt can be brushed aside—by individuals, by corporations. What we must appeal to is conscience. One person's conscience can lead hundreds to positive action. If there is to be a global commitment to healing, it should not be framed as reparations for the past, but as a response to the suffering of the present. Let conscience, not compensation, guide the way forward.

Back home, we must learn to see the nuances. Not all plastic is single-use or wasteful. In Bangladesh, we reuse everything. A plastic bottle may be used for months. Plastic furniture allows families to live with dignity. On a recent visit to a shop in Kachua, I was handed a plastic bag labelled "100 percent biodegradable." Bioplastics like those being developed by Sonali Bag may hold promise. But we must ensure that sustainability does not become another form of inequality, where the poor are penalised for using what they can afford, while the rich purchase expensive "eco" products.

Even a seemingly progressive decision, such as banning plastic and requiring only glass in offices, raises valid questions. The intention is noble. But how do small businesses comply? What happens to vendors who cannot afford the transition? Policy without inclusion becomes exclusion.

So, what should we do?

We must begin with awareness that respects, not lectures. Speak to people in their own language—not only linguistically, but through their lived experience. Show them that if the rivers are blocked, if the fish die, if the soil degrades, their own lives will be affected. And then, crucially, provide real alternatives. No one wants to harm the environment. But no one should be forced to choose between dignity and sustainability.

It is possible to mobilise people—especially the young—when they feel part of a collective mission. It is possible to educate without blame. To act without alienating. To build, not just ban.

Let us mark this World Environment Day not with more slogans, but with sincerity. Let us appeal not just to policies and politics, but to the hearts of people. Because only when environmental responsibility becomes personal, deeply human and emotionally understood, will we begin to see real change.

Let us make the state personal. Let us make conscience our most powerful policy.

Runa Khan is founder and executive director of Friendship.​

 

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World Environment Day: A story of memory and nature

There are people who protect our little spaces so that they can be green again.

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World Environment Day: A story of memory and nature

File photo: STAR

I want to share a story about a little girl and a tree. A beautiful krishnachura tree, reaching the fourth floor balcony of a house and hiding it away from the urban sprawl, but not enough that moonlight couldn't peek through. A tree that was a friend to that little girl living on that balcony. In spring, the blooms would set ablaze in red in that little corner, and summers would be kinder to the girl as the shade of green would protect the space from the scorching sun. For years, that tree was a friend to her. The passing of the seasons and the changes in foliage were a part of her life, and they were friends—they both knew it.

And one day, just like that, the tree was gone. Cut down to make space for growth. More than a decade of kinship, torn apart in the span of a week.

It's the kind of loss that lingers with you. It's the kind of loss that is hard to explain to a child but must be understood by an adult. The numbness that comes up to cope with this loss is something that is reflected in all of us, wouldn't you say? Living in a concrete jungle that is Dhaka, I wonder: when did we stop caring for the small things that make life, life? When did we stop romanticising the rain? Was it when the entire city got flooded and the day was ruined on a monsoon day? When did we stop listening to the birds? Was it when they stopped coming to us, to an almost uninhabitable city? When did we stop caring for the soil we walk on? Was it when it started being covered in asphalt for so long that we forgot what lies beneath?

Amid all this, a story that sticks with me is a memory. A memory of Amena apa, whom I met in Noakhali a few years back. She invited my family for lunch, and I remember looking at her old glass jars of jams and jellies filled with seeds—some small, some big, but all sitting in airtight containers. She told me about how she stores seeds so that she does not forget how things are meant to taste. It was very normal for her community to store seeds. They would keep them as a contingency for when floods hit. Some would call this a resilience model, but to her it is just how things are.
"We look out for each other," she said. This is something I could never relate to. When I moved away from my maternal home, the houses I lived in, I never knew who my neighbours were. We sometimes met while getting out of our doors, in the garage, maybe sometimes walking on the road, but we never spoke. We never had that community feeling. It is also just how things are for most of us living in Dhaka.

Most things in Dhaka have little meaning to us. There are no parks to walk in, no water bodies to sit beside and forget our worries. No open space for children to learn about the birds that come in winter, no connection of the spirit to the earth. Our days are spent thinking about the next traffic jam, even thinking about how to survive the next day. Living in such fight-or-flight mode brings out apathy in us even more strongly.
Today is World Environment Day, a day that holds a reminder of all these thoughts. But it's also a day when I am reminded that, despite mass apathy towards the environment, there are still people who care.

There are people who protect our little spaces so that they can be green again, people who remember to be mindful enough to care. Their actions lie in quiet choices, in how we walk through the world, and with the world.

Those people remember the smell of wet earth after the first rain, how it makes them stop, just for a moment. They remember the silence that hung after a storm passed, when even the birds paused to breathe. They remember the thrill of picking a mango, sticky-handed, from a tree that had stood there longer than them. They let their memories be an anchor, and remind them of who they were, and who they still could be. They care, because they remember. They remember how the environment matters, and how we matter within it.
Now the question is, do you remember?

Raida A. K. Reza is doctoral researcher at United Nations University's Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), and Technische Universität Dresden. She is the founder of Zero Waste Bangladesh (ZWBD).​

 

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Why mass awareness matters for environmental protection

Mass awareness is crucial to protect environment as it is being polluted in various ways including single-use of plastic bottles. The environment is also being polluted due to liquid waste from factories, waste from kitchens and restaurants, smokes from vehicles and brick-kilns. Battery-run...

en.prothomalo.com

Why mass awareness matters for environmental protection

Rabiul Islam
Journalist at Prothom Alo
Updated: 05 Jun 2025, 21: 19

A worker sorts used plastic bottles at a recycling unit in Karachi on 12 September, 2024. AFP file photo

Mass awareness is crucial to protect environment as it is being polluted in various ways including single-use of plastic bottles.

The environment is also being polluted due to liquid waste from factories, waste from kitchens and restaurants, smokes from vehicles and brick-kilns. Battery-run rickshaws also cause environment pollution.

According to a study, plastic bottles remain in the environment for up to 450 years. These release microplastics and toxic chemicals into ecosystems and food chain.

However, there is no strong waste management system in place in the country. So the mass awareness can play a significant role to protect environment from pollution.

Environment and Social Development Organisation (ESDO), a non-profit action research organisation, in a recent study reveals that the country generates maximum 3.84 billion of single-use plastic bottles every year. Only 21.4 per cent can be recycled. The rest 78.6 per cent end up in rivers, sea and dumping stations.

As a result, plastic waste along with others causes health and environmental risks. Waste from kitchens and restaurants also clog drains resulting in water logging and environmental damage.

However, only 18.4 of urban consumers and 5.5 per cent of rural consumers are aware of the health risks caused by the plastic bottles, the study says.

On the flip side, only 3.4 per cent of waste collectors are aware of the environment pollution due to plastic bottles.

In view of the consequences of health and environmental hazards, awareness can play a key role in combatting the single-use plastic.
People in general across the country discard plastic bottles without understanding its environmental impact and ultimate health hazard.

While chatting with a senior journalist friend, he shared an experience of the awareness of German people about the environment in Germany. He said he tossed a bit of foil paper on the street from a cigarette packet as there was no bin nearby. Immediately a German woman picked it up and dropped it into a bin at distance. There is hardly any such awareness in our country.

Moreover, most of the households discard plastic bottles and polythene as solid waste. But this could be different if the plastic bottles and polythene were separated from the rest and then recycled.

In this context, the government and non-government organisations can play an important role in creating mass awareness. The government can launch massive campaign about the environmental and health hazard of plastic bottles. A social campaign engaging political parties, local communities and schools, colleges and university students can also be taken across the country to create awareness among the people.

Earlier, voluntary organisations and scouts would launch campaigns about the environment pollution. But those activities are not seen now-a-days. But those activities could be revived. Given the degradation of environment, the government should chalk out various programmes to create awareness about the environment pollution.

Various committees at the ward, union, upazila and zila level can be formed to implement the programmes. These committees can hold rallies and discussions on the health and environment hazards of the plastic bottles.Moreover, the government can make policies and formulate laws to reduce the production of plastic bottles on the one hand and fine those who discard these bottles here and there.

The political parties have also a responsibility to carry out mass campaigns to create awareness among the people. But it is noticed that the political parties hardly bother with these social activities. But it is urgent to save the environment to lead a healthy and peaceful life free from environment pollution. People have been suffering from various diseases like cancer, asthma and more due to environment pollution.

Alongside carrying out studies and research on the environment pollution, the government can immediately take some steps to fight environment pollution. Mass campaigns can be one of the steps that can help reduce environment pollution. It is expected that the government will in no time do something for the environment and the human beings.

*Rabiul Islam is a journalist at Prothom Alo.​