The government has taken up a plan to plant 25 crore trees across the country, said Sheikh Faridul Islam, State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

He said mapping has already begun to identify tree species suited to different regions. He also spoke of the government's firm stand on closing brick kilns that burn wood, and urged everyone to use biodegradable alternatives instead of single-use polythene.

He was speaking on Sunday (9 August) at a two-day event at BRAC University in Merul Badda, Dhaka, marking World Environment Day and World Nature Conservation Day 2026. It was organised jointly by the university's Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (CCER) and Mutual Trust Bank PLC.

Professor Dr Ainun Nishat, emeritus professor at BRAC University and adviser to CCER, said Bangladesh is suffering the consequences of a crime it did not commit. Noting that Bangladesh has signed 40 to 50 international agreements on environment and biodiversity conservation, he called for more effective implementation of these commitments and greater national accountability.

BRAC University vice-chancellor Professor Syed Mahfuz Anwar called on Bangladesh to take global leadership in environmental and biodiversity conservation. He said the world's largest mangrove forest, longest sea beach and largest deep-sea submarine canyon are in Bangladesh.

At the closing session, Dr Md Saimur Parvez, the prime minister's special assistant on environment, forest and climate change, stressed the importance of the "reduce, reuse and recycle" or 3R principle in waste management, and urged government, educational institutions, banks and others to come forward to turn waste into reusable resources.

Policymakers, environmental experts, researchers, private sector representatives and students took part. Five technical sessions discussed climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, nature-based solutions and youth participation.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.