Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Friday said those who are making damages to the environment for personal interests are enemies of the country and the people.
"United resistance should be built against environment polluters," he told in a seminar titled "Let us make the ecology safe to protect the earth" arranged by the AL sub-committee on forest and environment at the CIRDAP auditorium.
Hasan said, "We are making damages to the environment. Even after that, the environment stays kind to us."
"Those who are causing damages to the environment for personal interests and those industrialists who don't keep the matter of environmental pollution in mind rather making damages and killing rivers are enemies of the environment," he said.
The average global temperature on Earth has increased by at least 1o Celsius after the industrial revolution and that is why the sea level rose and different ecological imbalances including salinity occurred, he mentioned.
The minister said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (a global partnership of countries that are disproportionately affected by the consequences of climate change), always played an active role in this regard.
He said Bangladesh played a pioneering role in formulating strategy and actions plans in facing the impacts of climate change. Many countries including the United States have learnt from Bangladesh's action plans, he said.
For these reasons, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won the Champions of the Earth Award, he mentioned.
Noting the significance of observing Earth Day, the minister said if the earth becomes unlivable, other news will lose importance.
Expressing regret, he said most of the newspapers didn't publish news on the occasion of the Earth Day on Friday and television channels also didn't air adequate programmes.
But AL's sub-committee on forest and environment recalled the day, he mentioned and extended thanks to the committee.
AL Sub-Committee on Forest and Environment Chairman Professor Dr Khandker Bazlul Haque chaired the seminar while noted environmentalist Dr Atiq Rahman, Dhaka University former Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Nasreen Ahmad, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University Vice-Chancellor Prof Aftab Ali Sheikh and Bangladesh Open University Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Mahbuba Nasreen presented keynote papers.
Awami League Forest and Environment Affairs Secretary Delwar Hossain moderated the programme.
