BRAC University celebrates World Environment Day

The Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), BRAC University celebrated World Environment Day 2023 with the theme of ‘Solutions to Plastic Pollution’ on the university campus on June 5.

This event supported by Lankan Alliance Finance Limited, aimed to promote environmental awareness and inspire positive action towards preserving our planet, said a press release.

The programme started with a speech by Sharmin Nahar Nipa, coordinator of C3ER, BRAC University while she addressed this year’s theme by aligning the historical background of plastic pollution. Moomtahina Rahman, a disaster management specialist of C3ER, BRAC University, shared an overall view on plastic pollution and global strategies addressing it to reduce plastic pollution. The international students of BRAC University from Bhutan shared their strategies and journey about beating plastic pollution from their country’s perspective.

A panel discussion was held where Professor Ainun Nishat, professor emeritus and advisor of C3ER, BRAC University, was the panel chair. Professor Syed Mahfuzul Aziz, pro-vice-chancellor and acting vice-chancellor of BRAC University, promised to set a milestone in managing and reducing plastic use on the BRAC University campus by installing different bins to collect plastic waste. He also mentioned collaborating with the stakeholders to reuse and recycle plastic waste.

Dr Md Shahedur Rashid, professor and chairman of the Geography and Environment department, at Jahangirnagar University, highlighted that plastic in the marine ecosystem gets degraded from macro plastic to meso plastic and turns into microplastic pollution. He suggested that we need to implement national policies, and for this cooperation from the higher authority of the government is required.

Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, dean and chairman of the Environmental Science Department, Stamford University Bangladesh, mentioning plastic burning as very toxic, said that the earth, soil, water, and everything are at risk of plastic pollution.

Golam Iftekhar Mahmud, a special correspondent of the Daily Prothom Alo, shared that our government encouraged to use jute products instead of plastic a long time ago, but still, it’s not in practice. Bangladesh officially banned plastic usage in 2002, but he mentioned there’s no proper implementation of it.