CA for stopping plastic use to save environment

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday urged all to avoid the use of plastic items to protect the environment and planet.

"If we do not change our lifestyle, our defeat to plastic is obvious," he told a function as the chief guest at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre here, marking World Environment Day.

Prof Yunus said humans are destroying nature, but they could not realise that nature also has a destructive mode.

Highlighting the adverse impacts of plastic on the planet, he said the plastic is accelerating climate crises, natural disasters and biodiversity destruction.

The chief adviser said the country's water bodies and biodiversity are being destroyed due to a lack of proper plastic management.

About the longevity of plastic in nature, he said everything has a lifespan, but plastic is such a thing that has no death.

Describing the harmful impacts of microplastic, Prof Yunus said: "If we do not leave plastic use, destruction will not leave us."

"We are on the suicidal path as the indiscriminate use of plastic and polythene is everywhere. We all know it is dangerous. But microplastic is more dangerous," he said.

He mentioned that the presence of microplastics was found in breast milk and hilsa fish recently. "So we have no scope to sit idle. We must start work (to this end)," Prof Yunus said.

He suggested stopping the production of plastic and polythene.

Issuing an appeal to the countrymen to stop one-time plastic use, he said they should take a decision to gradually prevent plastic use.

Terming the plastic a poison to the world and all its living things, the chief adviser said the use of this poison is increasing gradually with the rise of population.

He said the young generation should consider pollution more seriously as pollution is the biggest enemy to their survival.

Prof Yunus urged the young generation to come forward in addressing the climate crisis.

He stressed changing the perception of development, saying that no such development work should be embarked on that destroys the country's environment and nature.

"Nature has given us all...refrain from destroying it," he added.

In addition to carrying out the tree plantation campaign, the chief adviser suggested launching a "Stop tree felling campaign" aiming to protect the environment and nature in the country.

In his speech, he recalled the martyrs of the July Uprising and sought the early recovery of those who were injured in the movement.

Prof Yunus inaugurated the Environment Fair-2025 and the 'National Tree Plantation Campaign and Tree Fair-2025' at the function.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Environment Secretary Farhina Ahmed also spoke at the event.