Personal environmental commitment is key to beating pollution

World Environment Day is a significant day being observed annually on 5 June  since 1973 to address critical environmental issues, raise awareness and encourage action to protect the environment. Each year, it highlights a specific theme. This year the day is hosted by the Republic of Korea and the theme focuses on beating plastic pollution by calling for meaningful global action to end plastic pollution.

Plastic pollution is a global problem. Globally we produce 400 million tonnes of plastic every year. Less than 10 per cent of that is recycled. Around 11 million tonnes of plastic waste are entering rivers, lakes and seas each year. It is also projected that this could triple by 2040. In 2022 United Nations adopted a historic resolution to end plastic pollution. This was signed by 175 countries including Bangladesh and is committed to developing a legally binding international agreement by the end of 2024, but negotiations are still ongoing.  

We are one of the top countries that are struggling with mismanaged plastic debris. There have been all the worrying statistics about plastic pollution in our country. Single-use plastics—particularly thin polythene bags and disposable food packaging have become serious threat to our environment and sustainable development. In the beach town Cox’s Bazar alone, an estimated 34.5 tonnes of plastic waste are mismanaged daily -- much of which is flowing into canals, drains, and eventually the sea, this is according to a recent study by BRAC.

Across the globe, environmental concerns are alarmingly growing. Every year we are witnessing new and often more severe impacts of the environmental and climate crises—rising temperature, various pollutions, deforestation, vanishing biodiversity, destruction of ecosystems, sea-level rise, frequent natural disasters such as severe rain fall, floods, cyclones.

We have made extraordinary technological advancements and unprecedented economic growth ushering in longer life expectancies, greater access to consumer goods, and improved standards of living.  But on the flip side of it, the environment often bears the hidden cost of all this progress. We have been so powerful on earth that our footprints are now threatening the very systems that sustain life on Earth.

Throughout most of human history, waste and sustainability were not major concerns, as societies coexisted harmoniously with nature. However, in today’s consumer-driven world, rapid population growth, urbanisation, and economic expansion have led to unprecedented levels of waste and environmental degradation.

In our major cities we do not have adequate waste management systems. The situation is even more dire in smaller municipalities, rural towns, local markets, and roadside junctions. Across the country, it is common to see waste being dumped along roadsides or directly into canals and rivers.  A UN report last year highlighted that the Bay of Bengal is to receive five times more plastic waste in 2025 than it did in 2010.

In fact, plastic itself is not the root of the problem. On the contrary, plastic products have greatly improved our daily lives in many ways. We all rely on them for their convenience and functionality. The real challenge lies with us in our habits. We can use reusable bags to reduce consumption of single-use plastics. Far too often, we discard plastic carelessly, without considering the consequences. We are yet to fully internalise the fact that a single discarded polythene bag can clog drains, pollute rivers, and eventually harm marine ecosystems, not to mention other harms it is doing to human health, soil fertility.

In 2002, we made history as the first country to ban plastic bags. It was a bold and visionary step in the fight against plastic pollution. Yet, more than two decades later, the impact of that decision remains insignificant. A more recent attempt to reinforce the ban has also fallen short, largely due to poor enforcement and the absence of practical, affordable alternatives in the market.

We are one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Our location in-between the powerful forces of nature – rising seas to the south and overflowing rivers to the north and northeast has made us more vulnerable. This fertile delta that once attracted people has now become a battleground for survival.  Our economic growth and developments are frequently being challenged by the changing climate and various pollutions.

Around the world, blue carbon initiatives—such as the restoration of mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes—are gaining momentum as vital strategies in the fight against climate change. Mangroves, in particular, are not just being considered as coastal trees protecting coastal land from cyclone, storms, erosion and conserving biodiversity. Scientists found that they are powerful carbon sinks, capable of storing up to four times more carbon than terrestrial forests. Yet, despite their immense ecological value, mangroves continue to be cleared every year to make way for economic projects in our country.

For our sustainability, a greener country, healthy living, we must cultivate a sense of collective responsibility toward our environment, society and the country. We need to cultivate personal commitment to environmental responsibility. We cannot continue to act solely out of narrow self-interest. Unfortunately, our political leaders and public influencers often remain preoccupied with daily confrontational political issues, leaving little room for long-term sustainability and environmental thinking. It’s time they dedicate some attention and effort to raising environmental awareness for the greater good for us and for future generations.

In a densely populated country of over 170 million people, where political influence often overrides institutional accountability, legislation alone cannot drive the environmental awareness and transformation that we urgently need. Laws can set the framework, but it is our everyday choices that will determine whether we succeed in protecting the environment for future generations. Without a change in public behaviour and mindset, even the best policies may fail.

In my experience of working with international colleagues, I’ve been deeply inspired by their commitment to cleanliness and environmental responsibility. What stands out is that their actions are not driven by fear of penalties or mere compliance with laws—they stem from a genuine, personal dedication to protecting the environment. This is the kind of education and mindset we need to cultivate in our own society.

True environmental change begins when individuals take ownership, not because they are told to, but because they are educated, aware and believe that it is the right thing to do. While the government bears the responsibility of establishing robust recycling and waste management systems, real change also depends on us—the citizens.

* Parvez Uddin Chowdhury is a development worker, communications and climate enthusiast. He can be reached at p.uddinchy@gmail.com