Will the World Environment Day bring a difference?

Badrul Huda Sohel :

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has this year preferred a time befitting theme and slogan for the World Environment Day 2025, going to be observed tomorrow on June 5 around the world.

“Ending plastic pollution” and “Beat plastic pollution”- the theme and slogan respectively, triggering deep concerns among us as plastic pollution has entangled our country like the arms of an octopus, choking it from all directions.

The resonance of the word “plastic” in both the theme and slogan bears the testimony that plastic has been an alarming threat to our country as well. Though more than 50 years have already passed since UNEP initiated its journey with an end to eliminate pollution, the organisation stumbles, time and again, ensnared by the ripple effects of our own unscrupulous deeds echoing across the globe.

Following scientific and modern approaches, the 193 member states of UNEP are working relentlessly towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by protecting our ecosystem. From the analysis of various findings published in media outlets in the past, Bangladesh as a country and its capital Dhaka were identified earlier as one of the most polluted countries and cities respectively in the world.

The question is: Is it possible for us to overcome this crisis with the twinkle of an eye? Before finding the answer, the thing that terrifies our mind is the idea generated from the theme and slogan set by the UNEP, giving a harsh shadow of the current environmental state in Bangladesh.

Let’s look back a little. In 2002, a law was enacted in the country banning the use of plastic polybags. Considered a threat to public health, the production, promotion and use of polythene shopping bags were banned. More than two decades have passed. Has the use of banned polythene been stopped by law? Since the livelihood of thousands of people in the country is directly linked to the polythene industry, they will normally be reluctant to leave it so easily. Attention must first be paid to ensure that there is no unfettered production and use of polythene and plastic equipment.

It said that the amount of plastic used by per person in the country in 2005 was 3 kg while in 2020, it was 9 kg. Plastic is widely used in Dhaka and it is 24 kg by a person per year. Another study reported that, plastic and polythene are being produced in about 3,000 small and large factories in the country, giving surprising information of producing an average of 14 million polythene bags every day. Even if the calculation fluctuates, it is not difficult to understand at what rate the people of the country are using banned polythene.

Polythene and plastic contain various toxic chemicals. Through use, these chemicals get mixed with the soil, water, and food. If plastic and polythene are burnt after discharging, they easily mix with the air surrounding the atmosphere. When we breathe in that air, toxic chemical components easily enter the human bodies, posing serious health hazards over time.

Today’s high blood pressure and cancer are the results stemming from impure air, water and food consumptions. And, if polythene or plastic is not burnt, it is thrown into water as waists in drains, ponds, and rivers. Thus the non-biodegradable and insoluble properties of polythene and plastic are disrupting the habitat of aquatic animals. That is, plastic and polythene have become a serious threat to the ecosystem both in water and on land.

Now that the use of plastic or polythene has not reduced as expected despite repeated efforts even after being banned by the government for more than two decades, it is now imperative to think about the issue in a new way in order to survive. An alternative solution needs to be discovered. Even though harmful polythene is banned, since we are struggling to leave it behind, we need to find an alternative that is both available and affordable.

Yes, many people suggest jute-made bags as an alternative. Cloth bags are also said to be a solution. The question is: Can jute bags serve the same purpose as polythene bags? If the answer becomes positive, then the fault does not belong to polythene or plastic, rather the responsibility goes to the humans.

And, if negative, then who will take the responsibility? Expedient belongings can be temporarily concealed from public sight by banning them through law; they cannot be wholly eliminated in the long term. So, banning them may apparently be an action of rejection but may not be a solution. Unless affordable and reliable alternatives or solutions are found, the use of plastic or polythene will not reduce significantly, rather the problem may intensify. Science-based pragmatic steps are needed to prevent plastic pollution.

The current government is giving considerable importance to protect the environment from pollution, but if it fails to work simultaneously to formulate and implement a realistic new environmental policy convening private initiatives, the initiative of policy implementation will remain a far cry. Conservation of plants and wildlife, fish and aquatic environments, and conservation of biodiversity are prerequisites for the survival of our human race.

It is our responsibility to maintain the ecological balance of the natural environment. To make the ecosystem durable and sustainable, let’s celebrate Environment Day not only on June 5 but round the clock of the year. Since humans are no less responsible for environmental disasters today, we along with the government must work in tandem to protect the environment, otherwise it will be difficult to imagine what kind of devastation will be on us in the days to come.

(The writer is Assistant Professor and Head, Department of English, Ishakha International University).